The Rise of Ushindi
by Hvedrungsson
Summary: tRoU beginns with Ushindi, a king's second son and his best friend Askari leaving their old pride with a few companions to seek adverntures and follows them on a journey and eventually their way to the top. It also features a subplot about Guma, a hyena with ambitions that will tie into the main plot. It's a prequel to aLKS and should be read first if you don't want any spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

**Leaving for good**

With a mighty roar he reared up on his hind legs. Only seconds before his claws reached their target his opponent dodged and countered his attack. Using his full bodyweight, the other lion tackled him and they both fell to the ground, each of them struggling to get the upper hand. Viciously striking at each other they rolled through the grass, none of them willing to give up, as suddenly…

"Stop it you annoying squirts!" A paw far bigger than everything they both had to offer hit them. "Can't you see were trying to sleep?"

Dizzy due to the strike's force, the cubs stumbled away from each other. "Omoa, you jerk!", Ushindi shouted at his brother. "What are you doing here?"

"As he just said, we were trying to take a nap." With a uppish grin Wema stepped next to her mate. Even before she had been betrothed to Ushindi's older brother she had been a mean and arrogant lioness but it had become far worse since then.

"It's not our fault if you purposely lay down next to us for your stupid nap! We've been here first! Get lost!"

"Careful, you little freak! You're talking to your future queen!", Omoa growled at Askari and bared his teeth.

"And to your future king", Wema added and rubbed her cheek against her mate's muscular shoulder.

"And as such, I demand you to leave immediately, or else I will punish you for your misbehavior!" Threatening, the prince came closer, but the black cub didn't think about drawing back. For a moment they stood face to face and he could see how every second of it drove Omoa more and more furious. Enraged about the cub's disobedience the older lion suddenly lifted his paw.

"Watch out!", Ushindi shouted and pounced at his brother's foreleg, who yelped in pain as the cub dug its teeth into him.

Finally, Askari stepped back as Omoa threw his way smaller sibling off. He turned around, ran to Ushindi and together they made themselves scarce.

"I'll get you for this, you little brats!", the crown prince shouted and made an attempt to follow them, but the cubs were already too far away.

"Thank you!", Askari panted after they had reached safe distance to their pursuer. "That was close."

"Yeah, he got really mad this time." Grinningly Ushindi sat down.

"But it was totally worth it!"

"Absolutely! I still can't figure out why my dad wants him as his heir."

"Me neither."

"Nobody likes him! My parents and Wema are the only ones and she's only with him because she will become queen that way."

"Or because she is just as nasty as he is."

"Or both!" Busting in laughter the two cubs lay down. "You know what?", Ushindi said after they both calmed down. "If he really becomes king, I'm outa here!"

"Are you serious?" Askari gave him a perplexed look.

"Yes. Wouldn't you? Or can you imagine living in a place ruled by a jerk like him?"

"No. But I have no idea where I could go." The cub looked down on his paws.

"We could leave together. Just imagine. The two of us as rogues. We could go wherever we want, do whatever we want. I bet no one could ever stop us if we'd stick together. Not Omoa, not my parents, no one!"

Ushindi's eyes shined as bright as two suns, as Askari looked him straight in the face. "Count me in!"

* * *

The heat was unbearable. The sun stood high and mercilessly bathed the land below her in her light. Cursing his dark pelt Askari rose from the dry grass and looked around searching for a shadier place. The few withered bushes the area had to offer were barely enough to cool anyone down, regardless of their fur's color. With an angry snort he glanced at the small monolith, which ever since had marked the pride's lair. Of course, his shadow – the only true cover from the sun – was occupied by the royal family.

"Just look at them!" Ushindi came walking from some nearby bushes, in which a few of the pride's lionesses had taken cover. "What a happy little family."

"Yeah. If the sun hadn't done that already it would warm my heart." Askari's eyes had found Wema, who comfortably lay in the big rock's cover. With her were her two cubs. Their sight set Askari in an even worse mood. "I swear, if one of these brats calls me a monster one more time, I'll get royal blood on my claws."

"And I wouldn't stop you. If I could I would deny any consanguinity with these little demons. But you know what? Soon none of this will concern us anymore." He nodded in the direction he had come from. "Ruya, Shauri and Teke are in. Chagina wasn't sure, but I think she'll join us too. She said she wanted to ask Shindana, if she'd come with her." He smiled. "That would be seven of us."

"Really? So many?" Askari thought about the day he and his friend had made the plan to leave the pride. "Back then I'd never have thought the others would join us."

"Well, that's ten years ago. Enough time for Omoa to piss off nearly every member of his mighty kingdom. He can be glad that dad died that early or else he might have changed his mind after all." The mockery in Ushindi's voice couldn't be missed. "What would I give to see his face when he wakes up and finds halve of his pride gone?"

"Do you think he'll go after us?"

"No, he's too much of a coward for that. He might have acted like he was strong and brave when he was bigger than us, but since we've grown up… Well, look at you. You could deal with him all on your own if you wanted."

That wasn't even exaggerated. Within the last years Askari had grown a lot and so had his strength and fighting skills. It amused him, that in a way he could thank Omoa and Wema for that. They had always disliked him and when he had been old enough, denied him to join the hunting parties. His fur color would be a huge disadvantage and a threat to the hunters' success, they had told him. Of course, he knew it was simply because his oddly colored coat made him different and by that easy to pick on. But he had to bend to the royals' demands and so he simply began to hunt on his own. He began to invent his own strategies, like hunting at night or choosing prey that would never expect an attack from a single lion. Much to his likings, Ushindi quickly decided to accompany him in his attempts and soon they became a quite decent team. Together they took down prey, which the lionesses wouldn't even dare to approach, like buffaloes and even giraffes and young hippos. Over time the hard fights with such prey and the incredible rewards they were if killed, had made him stronger and stronger. "Yeah", he said and grinned. "If we can deal with an angry giraffe trying to trample us to death… He'd really be no challenge."

* * *

As finally after a long day of blazing heat the night had fallen, Askari lifted his head and looked around. Most of the pride's members were already asleep. In complete silence he rose and snuck towards Ushindi. "It's time", he whispered and his friend opened his eyes. Just as Askari he had only been pretending to sleep.

Shortly after, the two lions had reached the kingdom's border. "I've told the girls to meet us here before midnight", Ushindi told him and sat down. "And that they shouldn't come all at once, so that no one gets alarmed if they wake someone up by accident."

Just after he sad that, Askari spotted a dark figure heading towards them.

"Shauri", Ushindi greeted the lioness.

"Hey boys." With an insecure smile Shauri sat down next to them. "Am I late? Where are the others?"

"Nah, there is plenty of time left. Actually, you're the first!"

The next to arrive was Tekelea and shortly after, just as Ushindi had expected, Chagina and Shindana. Since their cubhood the two had been best friends and were barely seen separated from each other, so it was no wonder they came all at once.

* * *

Midnight had already passed, when the last of them finally showed up. They just had come to the conclusion that Ruya had decided to stay and took the first steps of their journey, as a quiet shout could be heard.

"Wait for us!"

Askari, who walked at the end of their group turned around and saw Ruya running towards them. And she was not alone.

The others had also noticed the two lionesses and stopped.

"I'm so sorry, but I was delayed by someone", Ruya panted, as she reached them. The lioness following her shyly stayed behind her. "She noticed me, when I was trying to leave and that you guys were gone, too. I told her what we are up to and guess what? She wanted to come with us! Right?" Ruya stepped aside, so that the lioness behind her stood face to face with the group. Still staying close to her the lioness nodded. Now as he saw her face Askari recognized her. She was a bit younger than the rest of them, so it was no wonder Ushindi hadn't personally invited her to come with them.

"Are you really sure, Heba?", Ushindi asked and walked up to her. "This is not just gonna be some sort of vacation. We're leaving for good."

For a second the lioness didn't move but then he looked up into his face and nodded one more time.

"Fine." He gave her an encouraging smile and turned around. "Let's go, guys! There is a whole world waiting for us!"

* * *

_AN: Well, I didn't knew how I wanted to continue "aLKS" but really wanted to continue wrighting it. I've kinda got an ending for it in my head but no idea how to get there (like how to set up the villan or even who he/she will be). It's crazy how I managed to wright round about twenty-freaking-thousend words without knowing that! But guess what? Suddenly I noticed that there is something else I'd really want to wright: The backstory that lead to the events of aLKS. So, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and got interested for more! Feel free to tell me what you think about it._


	2. Chapter 2

**Guma**

A smell of blood was in the air, the scent of a successful hunt and a fresh kill. It was hard for Guma, not to drool as he sniffed it in, trying to figure out where it originated.

The soft but pesky sound of a paw continuously tapping the ground made him stop his research and look to the side.

Chadi was sitting next to him, his left foreleg shivering in excitement. That was only one of his many annoying attributes, but he had learned to deal with it. With a swift move he kicked the noisy leg.

"Hey! I thought we were friends!", the other male yelped. "What was that for?"

"For annoying me!", Guma growled. Actually, he considered Chadi and his brother more as henchmen than as friends. "No wonder you're no one's favorite."

"That's true", Chege laughed and poked his younger sibling with a paw. "But… neither am I… or you."

By the look on his face, Guma guessed that the trail of thought leading to this conclusion had consumed all of the little amount of intellect stored in Chege's head. "But other than you two zebra brains, I'm about to change that!" Once more he sniffed into the air. Now he knew where to go. "Follow me, guys."

* * *

Shortly after, Guma had found what he had been looking for. Slowly he crouched through the long grass, took cover between some bushes and strained his ears. Judging by the voices he heard, they were three, a male, a female and a cub or younger lion. "Stay in cover and circle them, boys", he said with a quick glance over his shoulder. "Let them know, there are more of us, but keep your mouths shut. Let me do the talking." With that said he stepped out of the bushes and walked towards the three lions laying around the freshly killed antelope.

The sound of his steps alerted the male, who jumped up and turned around.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?", Guma said with a faked but – as he hoped – friendly looking smile.

Protectively, the lion positioned himself in front of his family. "Kara, Moto, stay behind me", he said without losing eye contact with the intruder. "We don't want any trouble, so stay clear… hyena!"

Still smiling, Guma looked back at him. "Neither do I, rogue. I assure you", he answered perfectly calm. "May I ask who you are?"

"I'm Ifu and this is my family", the lion hesitantly said. "Now, may _I_ know, who you are, asking me that?"

"How rude of me. The name is Guma, humble servant of her majesty, Queen Siyogwaya, who rules these lands and all its inhabitants." He took a prouder posture. "And as such, I'm afraid, I have to point out that by killing prey on our land you have committed poaching."

The puzzled look on the lion's face was enough to proof, that his words hadn't failed the desired impact. For a second, he turned away from Guma to look at his mate. She seemed to be just as surprised by the news as he was. "We didn't know that", she tried to explain herself and looked down at the dead animal in front of her.

As if it had been planned, just after she had spoken, the grass close to her moved. Startled, the lioness flinched and pulled her young one closer to her.

"Oh, no need to be scare, my dear, I belief you. Otherwise I'd already have ordered my companions to take you down." Guma's fake smile turned into a real one, as he saw, how Ifu's eyes widened and began rushing from one side to the other, searching for more hyenas. Now he knew, he had the upper hand. The lion in front of him was far more nervous than he pretended to be.

"So, you're willing to forgive us?", Kara, the lioness carefully asked.

"I am. We're not in a crisis and our lands bare more than enough food to feed our clan and the other predators living here, so we have prey to spare. But it's not up to me to decide it." He began walking up and down in front of the lions. "Hunting without our queen's permission is still prohibited. Considering the fact, that you have already killed this antelope without it, I would highly suggest you to offer it to her majesty as a gesture of your good will and apologize. I'm certain she would understand your mistake and forgive you." He stopped walking and took a step backwards to give the couple some space. Finally, Ifu dropped his guard and began mumbling with his mate. After a few moments of talking, the lion turned back to Guma and nodded.

"Wait, what?" The young lion stepped between his parents. "You'll do as he said? He obviously is lying to you! _Queen_ is not a hyena's title! It's not for filthy scavengers, only for true hunters!"

Now that he had clear sight on him, the hyena noticed, that he was indeed older than he had expected. The fiery red hair tuft on his head, that already extended over his neck to the shoulders and his height indicated, that he already had left the cubhood years behind. Maybe he was close to be considered a young adult, but neither did Guma know for sure, nor did he care. What he knew was, that he highly disliked the way this juvenile spoke.

"Yes, we will do as he said. And where have you heard such nonsense? Most hyenas are hunter just like we are, and yes, there are kingdoms ruled by them." Kara looked at Guma and tried an apologetic smile. "I'm so sorry for his behavior. Usually he is quite calm and friendly."

"For sure he is", Guma growled and glared at the young lion. "Just make sure, he doesn't talk to the queen like that. She might accept your apology, but she won't tolerate an insult like that."

"Of course." The lioness nodded and looked at her son, but instead of following her example Moto simply stared back at the hyena. At least, until a growl of his father made him obey.

"Good boy", Ifu said. "I'll carry the food and you stick to your mother, understand?" Then he turned to Guma. "Would you allow us to take advantage of your kindness one more time and lead us to your queen, hyena?"

"With pleasure. Follow me."

* * *

They entered the hyenas' lair and were promptly greeted by a vulture. The lions flinched, as the bird rushed down and landed right before them, but Guma didn't even blink. He had spotted Fupa long ago circling around baobab on the hill, where the clan resided.

"Hey Guma", the vulture said.

"Hey", the hyena returned the greeting. He always had been on good terms with the bird and not without purpose. It never could be a disadvantage to be close to the queen's majordomo.

"Who are your new friends?"

"Some rogues who stumbled through our lands. I thought I'd introduce them to the queen."

"I don't know if it's the right moment for that. It's a little… tense up there." With its long neck the bird nodded into the tree's direction. "Siyo had quite an argument with Masoka. Once again."

"Thanks for the warning. We'll be careful.", Guma assured, but not without warningly glaring at Moto. "Now, would you please announce us?"

"Are you still sure, we should bother her?" The vulture's warning seemed to trouble Kara.

"It will be fine. Trust me."

"And why should it be fine?", Moto asked and glared at the hyena.

"Because, young lion, females of every kind tend to calm down with some food in their stomach. And luckily, we brought some, didn't we?" He winked at him. "That's a lesson you shouldn't forget. I bet your father would agree with me." Amused he watched, how both the young one and the lioness turned around to Ifu, who, still with the antelope between his teeth, gave them an awkward smile.

"Wll, h's kinda right", he mumbled and nodded.

"Sure, I am. Now come on, don't want to keep her waiting, huh?"

* * *

Just as Fupa had said, Siyogwaya seemed to be in a very bad mood. With a grim face she sat in the shadow of the baobab and glared at Masoka. The male lay few steps away from her and angrily stared into the other direction.

"What is it?" She managed to loosen her eyes and turned to him. "Make it quick. I'm not done yet with my _mate_ over there." The way she said it, the word sounded like an insult. Masoka gnashed his teeth and Guma bit his tongue to avoid a giggle. This day was getting better and better.

"Of course, your highness", he said and bowed down in front of her. From the corner of his eyes he could see, how the lions behind him did the same. Then he looked back at the queen and introduced them.

"We really didn't know we were on your lands, your highness", Kara assured the queen, after Guma had told her what had happened. "And we're so lucky, that your people were kind enough to give us the chance to explain us to you."

Still with an angry face, the queen glared at her.

Insecure, the lioness looked down and searched for Guma's eyes.

"The prey", he whispered to her and nodded encouragingly.

"Right!" Kara turned to her mate, who stepped forward and placed the antelope at the queen's paws. "This is the animal, I've killed. Please accept it as our apology." She bowed down once again.

Now Guma could clearly see, how Siyo's expression changed from angry to hungry, as she lowered her head and sniffed at the antelope. Then she looked at the lions and nodded. "I guess, your offer proofs, that you had no bad intentions when you came to this kingdom. You are forgiven."

The relief on the lions' faces could not be missed.

"Furthermore, I grant you the right to hunt on my lands. If you want, you're allowed to stay, as long as you respect our laws."

The lions' jaws dropped and even Guma looked surprised. That was way more, than he had expected.

"T-Thank you, my queen! Thank you, so much!" Smiling all over her face, Kara looked at her family. "You're trust means a lot to us!"

"Yeah, yeah", Siyogwaya said whilst trying not to look at the food in front of her. "You're free to go now."

One more time the lions bowed to her, then they turned around and left.

"Not you."

Guma, who was about to follow them stopped. "My queen?"

Taking a big bite of the antelope, Siyo gestured him to come closer. "You're Guma, right?"

Watching her happily chewing the fresh meet, he nodded.

"You've done very well, Guma. A conflict with these rogues could have been pretty nasty. Actually, I wouldn't have thought that a simple border guardian could handle such a situation like you did." She glared at Masoka, who snorted in annoyance of what he heard. Then she turned back to Guma. "Keep up the good work and you'll be rewarded."

* * *

_AN: Let's have a look at an other kingdom far away from where we startet. Meet Guma, a very clever and only sometimes good boy! He's going to be the main character of a sideplot that will tie into the main one eventually._


	3. Chapter 3

**Future plans**

A mighty roar sounded as the first sunbeams lit the world in a warm red. It was loud and far to be heard, a sound of pure joy and freedom.

Grinning, Askari looked up the small hill, were Ushindi stood, took a deep breath and followed his example. Never before one of them had been allowed to raise his voice like that. Encouraged by the males the lionesses joined in.

Up on his hill Ushindi turned around to them. With the breeze blowing through his mane and the proud expression on his face he looked kinglier than his brother ever could hope to be. "I always wanted to do that!" With a grin even wider than Askari's he jumped down to them.

"Yeah!", Chagina said and the other girls nodded. "And man, are you guys good! Compared with you Omoa sounds like someone stepped on a cub's tail!"

Laughing, the other lionesses agreed, while Ushindi acted to be embarrassed by the compliment.

"But jokes aside." As the others calmed down, Tekelea stepped forward and looked at the two lions. "What's our plan now?"

"Uhm…" Seeking his assistance Askari turned to Ushindi. If he was honest, he hadn't really thought about that until now.

"Well, first of all I think we should get us something to eat and some water. I saw some antelopes from up there, but…" He suggestively glanced at Tekelea.

"Urgh, don't say it." The lioness needed no further explanation to get what he wanted to say. "Prey like that is too gracile for you big brutes. Yeah, yeah… Come on girls, let's show our wannabe king how to hunt something smaller than a hippo without crushing it!" Giving them a cheeky smile, she set off with the other lionesses.

"That was a good question, you know?", Askari said as he and Ushindi walked up the hill to watch the hunt. "What is our plan?"

"The same we had all those years ago. To go wherever we want and to do whatever we want."

"And what is it you want to do?"

"I was about to ask you the same. But for myself, I simply want to wander around. To enjoy the bright sides of live, you know. Seeing other places, meeting other lions…" Ushindi grinned as Askari gave him a questioning look. "Ok, mostly lionesses", he confessed.

Laughing, the dark lion shook his head. "How comes I'm not surprised by that? By the way, you know that we travel with six girls who chose you over their home and families? I bet at least one of them would love to be more than just friends with you. Shauri for example."

"I already tried on Shauri a few months ago. She only likes me as a friend. And I wasn't talking about finding a girlfriend, if you know what I mean." Grinning even dirtier than before he winked at his friend. "At least not now. And you?"

Askari sat down on top of the hill and tried to find the lionesses on their hunt. "Well, if something turns up, I'd be the last to say no, but girls aren't my priority. I want to meet some rogues."

"Rogues?", Ushindi asked surprised. "What for?"

"To challenge them. I want to test my strength. Nothing against you of course, you're quite strong, but…"

"But you beat the shit out of me every time we practice", Ushindi finished his sentence. "I know that and I'm ok with it." He chuckled. "Even better. I like this plan. No competition between us. I get the girls and you the boys and… OUCH!"

"Watch your words!", Askari said after jokingly punching his friend's shoulder. "That was not what I meant."

"Sure, it wasn't…"

"Oh please." With a snort Askari turned away from him. Finally, he spotted the lionesses and pointed at them. "Now better be quiet or your painful cries will disturb our might huntresses."

Still with a stupid grin on his face, Ushindi lay down next to him. Together they watched three of the six lionesses sneaking up on four unsuspecting antelopes. Suddenly one of them, Askari thought it was Chagina, jumped up and started to run. The other two followed her as their prey fled for its live.

Suddenly, another lioness rose from the grass right in the way of one of the antelopes. Wasting no time, she pounced, crashed right into it and they both disappeared in the long grass. Contemporaneous, a second lioness appeared, who tried the same at another antelope, only that she missed her target. The antelope sidestepped and the huntress fell face first back into the sea of grass. It looked like her prey would escape but unfortunately for it, it took the wrong way and ran directly into the third concealed huntress waiting for an opportunity to strike. Wildly kicking, the antelope tried to shake off the lioness, who dug her claws into its body. A few steps further way, the lioness who had missed her chance was back up and rushed to aid her pridesister. Together they managed to bring their prey down. Then suddenly, it became silent.

The lions stood up and looked at each other. "Dinnertime?", Ushindi asked.

A roar sounded from one of the lionesses and Askari nodded. "Dinnertime!"

* * *

"Dinnertime!" Guma dropped the foreleg of the antelope, lay down and began eating. After they had seen him talking to the queen, none of the other males dared to challenge him for his reward and he couldn't even describe, how much he enjoyed the feeling. In no time Chege and Chadi had noticed the food's smell and ran up to him. Since he had convinced the lions to offer their prey to the queen, they had kept their distance and looked quite surprised about the outcome of his plan.

"Whoa! It actually worked?", Chege laughed and looked at the leg in disbelieve. "I thought the queen would only share with Masoka."

"Not today, my friend, not today", Guma triumphantly said and took a bite. "The two of them had quite an argument today and even worse, the hunting party was unsuccessful today. It was my gift, that saved the day for her." Chewing he grinned at his companions. "Just say it, my plan worked perfectly!"

The two's jaws dropped. "You've planed that they wouldn't catch any food today and that Siyogwaya would be mad at Masoka?", Chadi asked with googly eyes. "How did you do that?"

"Idiot. That wasn't my work, but yes, it was part of the plan. I knew that Masoka is struggling to keep his positions as Siyo's favorite. There were enough hints. I just had to wait for an opportunity and that's the other part of the plan. Information." A shadow made him look up. "Speaking of which…" With a powerful bite he separated the lower half of the leg. "Hey, Fupa!" Up in the sky, the vulture stopped circling and looked down on him. "Want some?", the hyena asked, after he was sure the bird payed attention.

"Always!" Still in flight, Fupa grabbed the scraps and flew off. "Thanks buddy!"

"Hey!", Chege complained. "Why do you share with that bird? It was us who helped you!"

"Because that bird is the one who's giving me all that information I was talking about", Guma explained. "I've spent quite some time to get the majordomo on my side, but it pays off to be friends with the best-informed person of the kingdom." He took another bite. "But don't worry. You'll get your part of the share when I'm done eating. Maybe I'll even leave some of the meat for you. And if things turn out as good as it looks right now, you can even dare to get used to that."

"Haha!" Salvia began to run out of Chege's mouth as he and his brother watched Guma eating. Then, happily, they jumped at the bones and few scraps he left for them. In no time there was nothing left.

"That was good!", Chadi burped and tried to loosen a bone shard that was stuck between his teeth. "And you said we can get used to that?"

"I don't know how we're gonna do it, Guma, but I'm in!", his brother giggled. Then he cocked his head. "It is your plan to get more food, isn't it?"

Grinning, Guma turned into the direction of the great baobab and looked at the queen sitting in its shadow, discussing something with some other females. "I'm up for so much more than food…"


	4. Chapter 4

**First successes**

Finally. Slow and calculating he began to circle his opponent. The other lion, a rogue, slightly younger than him, but of a similar build, followed his movement.

More than two weeks had passed without him finding even a single trace of another male lion. The sheer number of stories the elder lionesses of their former pride had told had led Askari to believe, the Outlands, the unclaimed territories between the kingdoms, would be filled with wandering lions. Unfortunately, that couldn't be further from the truth. Tekelea had been the one who had led him into the right direction.

"Well, imagine you would be a young rogue like, let's say… Ushindi. Where would you go?" She had grinned at the said rogue, who had been shocked about her knowledge of his plans. If he thought about it now, it had been stupid of his friend to believe he could hide his intentions from the girls. After all, everyone knew what kind of _adventure_ it was that most lions who left their prides were seeking. After a short discussion, the lions had agreed to change their route to visit the kingdom closest to them. And there, right at the border they had met him. Just as Tekelea had said, the rogue had the same intentions as Ushindi, so it was no big deal for Askari to provoke him. A few nasty words about the size of his mane later, the rogue was angry enough to accept the black lion's offer to solve their conflict in a little fight.

"Go get him, Askari!", one of the lionesses shouted, as he finally pounced on his opponent.

With an angry roar the rogue dodged and tried to counter the attack. His claws hit Askari on the neck, but his mane weakened the impact and he shook it off like it was nothing. "That everything you got?", Askari mocked him and lashed out with his paw. This time the rogue wasn't quick enough to dodge and got hit right in the face. Now the fight truly had begun. What followed was an intense exchange of blows, that was only interrupted by some attempts of dodging an attack or biting the other. Suddenly, the rogue rose on his hind legs, ferociously striking at Askari with both forelegs, covering him with scratches. He tried to overwhelm the black lion, but instead of drawing back, Askari pushed forward and threw his full bodyweight against him. Falling to the ground, both lions struggled to win the upper hand. Being the first back on his legs, Askari swooped down on the rogue. Trying to get his teeth around his opponent's neck, he received heavy kicks against his belly. He felt how claws dug into his chest, as the rogue tried to stop him from lower his jaws any further. Nearly numb for the pain Askari roared in euphoria, as he felt, how his opponent's resistance began to break.

"All right! ALL RIGHT!", the rogue shouted only a blink before Askari's teeth reached their destination. "I give up!"

Finally, Askari stopped pushing down. "Get lost", he quietly said to him, after closing his jaws right in front of his nose and released the rogue, who jumped up and immediately moved away from him.

"Damn it…", the defeated mumbled, as he stumblingly set off to lick his wounds, while Askari turned to his cheering spectator.

"What a fight!" Grinning, Ushindi gave him a friendly headbutt. "I knew he stood no chance against you, buddy!"

"That was a lesson he won't forget", Chagina laughed.

"Yeah! And even if, I'm sure you gave him one or two scars to remind him", Shindana joined her friend.

"Does… Does it hurt?"

Panting, Askari turned towards the voice. It was Heba, who looked at him with wide eyes. Or, better to say, at the several wounds he had received during the fight. Now, that the fight's tension slowly lost its effect on him, he had to admit, that the young lioness was right. He nodded.

"And I hope so." Ruya stepped between Heba and him. Other than the rest of the lions, her face wasn't very cheerful. "I knew you weren't the friendliest of guys, but not that you could be that nasty! Insulting him like that only to fight him."

"Oh, don't worry, it does", Askari assured her with an unimpressed grin. "And you're right. I wasn't very friendly to him. But that was necessary. You see, if I wanted some sparring, I could have asked Ushindi or even one of you guys, but that's not what I am looking for. I already know that I'm quite decent in that. But what about a real fight?"

"You did that not only to make him fight you, but to ensure he would really want to hurt you, am I right?", Ruya concluded.

"Exactly. How else could I test my true potential?"

Shaking her head, the lioness turned away from him. It was clear, that his argument hadn't convinced her. "Come Heba", she said and began walking away from the others. "Let's check if there is any prey nearby that hasn't been scared away by the noises these hot-heads were making."

Insecure about how to react, the younger lioness stood there, then she also turned around and followed her.

"Well, I don't care if it was mean or not", Chagina clarified. "He wasn't one of us, so who cares? Ruya needs to calm down."

"I agree." Ushindi looked after the two lionesses. "But we should stop talking about this. There are other things that we should turn to."

"And what would that be?", Askari asked.

"Well, for today, you have got what you want." Suggestively, Ushindi winked at him. "Time to focus on my wishes, don't you think?"

* * *

Later that day, Askari walked back to where he and Ushindi and the girls had split up. From there he followed their tracks, until he finally found them. Just as he had hoped, they all were laying around the body of a dead antelope.

"Look who is back." Tekelea rose her head, munching on a piece of meat. "Or better to say, look who is back, _alone_."

"He, who apparently didn't scare off all the prey in the area", he said with a side glance at Ruya.

"I guess that means our beloved prince won't dine with us today?"

"I don't think we can expect him to be back before sunrise." He sat down next to her and hungrily bend over the food. "Anyone mind, if I take his share as well?"

"Well, actually we agreed in sharing the rest equally if you two wouldn't show up."

Pulling his teeth back out of the antelope, Askari looked up only to see Ruya gazing at him. "She's still mad at me, right?", he whispered to Tekelea.

"Nah, she's fine. Just don't overdo it. But I'm with her this time." She stopped chewing and swallowed the morsel. "I'm still hungry."

"If that's so, I won't dare taking more than what's righteously mine." With that being said, he began eating.

"And? How was the pride?", Chagina asked, after Askari was done eating.

"Well, they are fewer then we were back home", he answered. "We scouted them out a little, before Ushindi approached them. The king is the only male around and looked a bit nervous, as he walked towards them. But the lionesses seemed to appreciate his appearance."

"And, how is she?"

"Who?", he mumbled, trying to get rid of a small piece of meat between his teeth.

"The girl he hooked up with. He would be here if he didn't."

"Hm… She's one of the huntresses, I think", he said and returned to his dental hygiene.

"Oh, come on!" Chagina moved closer to him. "I don't want to worm everything out of you. We want details."

"Details?"

"Yeah!", Shindana entered the conversation. "Like, what does she look like? A pretty girl, am I right?"

"Well… eh… I just looked from afar, but guess so, yes. Light brown pelt…"

"I bet she has blue eyes", Tekelea interrupted him and grinned at Shauri. "He likes blue eyes, am I right, Shauri?"

"Ha, ha, Teke", the reddish lioness replied. "We dated for less than three weeks. That barely counts. And it's more than a year ago." She reached out for the antelope and gnawed a little at its rips. But then suddenly… "I don't really care, but… are her eyes blue?", she quietly asked.

"You don't really care?", Shindana laughed. "You don't believe that yourself, do you?"

Sighing, Askari lay down, as one lioness after the other entered the argument. Even Ruya left her grumpiness aside and joined in. He licked one of his paws and began to clean his face, trying to ignore the gossiping girls. This night would probably be harder for him than his fight with the rogue.

* * *

_AN: Askari doesn't hesitate to put his plans into action and isn't squeamish about it... but neither is Ushindi._


	5. Chapter 5

**Jiwe**

Just as Askari had predicted, his friend didn't return until the next day. It was noon when one of the lionesses finally spotted Ushindi heading their way. And he was not alone.

"Is that her?", Shauri asked and narrowed her eyes to a slit, trying to gaze at the lion's female companion from afar.

"You bet your jealous ass!" With a mischievous grin Tekelea tried to poke her friend's said body part.

Not deigning to look at her, Shauri stepped out of her reach. "As I already told you, I am not jealous. I'm… curious."

"Hey guys!", Ushindi greeted them happily as he was close enough and sped up a little. "Come on, they don't bite", he encouraged the lioness by his side who fell a little behind. "Except for that guy."

Askari couldn't help but to grin, as the lioness gazed at him. He could see that she wasn't quite sure if she could take Ushindi's words as a joke or not. "Only if you make me", he said, what did not really make it any better.

"Hey, no need to worry", Ushindi laughed as he saw the lioness's face. "We're just fooling around. But let me introduce you. Guys, this is Jiwe. Jiwe, these are my friends. That menacing guy here is my buddy Askari and these are Ruya, Chagina, Shindana, Shauri, Teke and Heba."

"Nice to meet you." With a friendly smile Tekelea stepped forward and nodded to greet Jiwe. Then she looked her straight in the eye and grinned even wider. "Well, I already like her", she said as she walked back and sat down next to Shindana, who looked not very amused. "What do you think?"

"Oh, shut up…", the other lioness muttered.

"They had this weird bet, you know?", Askari explained to Ushindi and Jiwe, who seemed to be a little confused about what was going on. "Don't even ask."

* * *

The rest of the day they spent with talking and wandering around together, the ice was quickly broken. Ushindi and his friends told Jiwe about the events of their journey so far and she listened carefully, especially when they came to Askari's brawl with the rogue. As it turned out, the lion, Askari had fought the day before was no other than Jiwe's ex-boyfriend. Since she had dumped him a while ago, he had been lingering around in the area.

"At first, he looked like the kindest guy I've ever met", she told her new found friends. "But then he turned out to be quite the hothead and became really controlling. It was so annoying. I had no time for myself anymore, he always followed me everywhere. Even after I broke up with him."

"What a creep", Ruya said. "But couldn't you have asked your king to do something about that?"

"Oh, I did. He went and told him to leave. And he did, but not for long. He settled down at our border and even though our king never caught him, I knew he came back from time to time. It was like I could feel his eyes on me."

"Askari gave him a good beating", Chagina laughed. "I'm sure he is long gone."

"He definitively looks like someone who does that sort of stuff", Jiwe said and gave the dark furred lion an insecure smile. "I really hope you're right."

"If you want, we could stay here for a while", Ushindi quickly offered, taking the opportunity. "Just in case, you know?"

"You would really do that for me?", the lioness asked with wide eyes. "I really would feel safer with you around. But what about your journey?"

"Oh, we're not in a hurry. Haven't even planned our next destination yet, right guys?"

"Uhm…" Questioning, Askari turned to the lionesses. "Well, it's fine with me. For now, I've got what I wanted. What about you?"

Tekelea was the first of the girls to answer. "Taking some time for planning sounds like a good idea to me", she said. "And the landscape here is nice too. I've already spotted some herds and a watering hole nearby. I wouldn't mind staying here for a while."

Following her example, one lioness after the other also agreed, what put a grateful smile on Jiwe's face. "So, you're all staying? Awesome!", she cheered, but then she looked a little worried. "That means, if the king allows it. He usually has no problem with one rogue settling in his land for a while, but eight?"

"If you tell him we're here to help you, he surely will consider it", Ushindi assured her. "Or… you simply don't tell him. The others could simply stay out of his sight. Until now he only knows about me, right?"

Thinking about his suggestions, Jiwe bit her lip. "But… wouldn't that be kind of… betraying him?"

"Nah. How could it? You do no harm to anyone by not telling about us, don't you? And if he finds out you can still tell him you didn't know about the rest of us. But it's on you to decide."

Sighing, the lioness stood there, struggling to decide what to do. "Fine, I won't tell him", she finally decided. "Just don't make it too obvious that you're around, ok?"

* * *

The wandering lions stayed more than two weeks in the foreign kingdom. They had decided to make the place where they had met with Jiwe their temporary lair and promised her to stay out of her pride's sight. Like that they managed to avoid being spotted by any of its members, except for Ushindi of course, who went to them day by day to see Jiwe. Together they roamed the land, visited Ushindi's friends, went for a hunt or simply hung out together and by that, became closer. Everything went according to the young lion's plan, until one day.

"Hey, Ushindi!" Without caring much about their privacy, Shindana, followed by Askari walked up to the couple. Jiwe was laying on her back in the savanna's grass, snuggling against Ushindi. Looking into her eyes, the lion licked her cheek, what made her giggle happily. "Excuse me!", Shindana said a little louder than before.

"Urgh…" Finally, Ushindi lifted his head.

"Oh, hey Shindana. Askari." Jiwe rolled over onto her side. "What's up?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is trouble ahead", the lioness responded.

Noticing her worried expression, Ushindi got up and softly rubbed his head against Jiwe's. "Don't worry. If it's Hatari, Askari and I will deal with him. Stay here, I'll be right back."

"It's… not her ex", Askari growled. "It's her king. He saw us when we were on our way back from the watering hole."

"He saw you", Shindana corrected him and looked at Ushindi. "I could hide in the grass, but he with that fur? No chance. And he wasn't even smart enough to leave in another direction, so that that guy wouldn't be led right toward our lair!"

"Hey, we left the watering hole together and came here together! I hadn't thought of that, ok? But if you're so smart, why didn't you tell me back then, huh? And by the way, you said it was clear!"

"Guys, calm down", Ushindi interrupted their fight. "That's… unfortunate, but blaming each other does us no good right now."

"At least he is no real danger for us", Askari said, still glaring at Shindana. "Now after I saw him, I don't know why we were hiding in the first place. He's old. Not very intimidating. No challenge, for none of us."

"W-What does he mean by that?", Jiwe asked, looking quite anxious at Askari.

Quickly, Ushindi stepped right in front of his friend, before he could give an answer. "No, that's not an option!"

"I was just saying…"

"Please, don't hurt him!" Now Jiwe got up. "He doesn't deserve that! He is a nice guy and just wants to protect us, his pride!"

"Hey…" Gently, Ushindi rubbed his cheek against hers. "It's ok. I'll go talk to him. We will solve this peacefully, I promise."

* * *

When the king arrived, Askari abided by his friend's promise. He stayed with the lionesses and watched Ushindi walking up to the elderly lion heading into their direction. He was accompanied by two lionesses. "Who are these two?", Askari asked Jiwe, who sat next to him.

"The one to his right is the queen", she answered in a toneless voice. "And the other one… is my mother."

"Oh… I'm sorry, if you're in trouble now", he tried to apologize.

With a sad sigh the lioness sat down. "I guess I am. My mom wasn't exactly happy seeing me with Ushindi. Not after the dilemma Hatari caused and now... I caused trouble again."

"I hope you know I didn't want this to happen."

"Yes, I know. It wasn't your fault, at least not entirely. I guess it was only a matter of time until it happened." Blaming herself she shook her head. "Urgh, I should have told him about you. Maybe he would have allowed you to stay here for a while… or…"

"At least you had some time to be with Ushindi", Tekelea said, coming to Askari's aid, who helplessly looked at the sad lioness. "Who knows if that could have been if you had told him? Oh, look, he's coming back."

"How'd it go?", Askari asked his friend, who just returned from his meeting with the king.

"Could have been worse I guess", the lion answered. "I told him about you guys and that we were afraid he would kick us out if he knew we were so many. He accepted my apology and agreed to my request not to blame you." He gave Jiwe a weak smile. "But I'm afraid our time here is up. He says that these lands can't afford feeding eight more lions, that the balance of the circle of live would be in danger if we all stayed."

Helplessly, Jiwe looked from Ushindi to Askari and the other lionesses and back. "And… what did he say about us?"

"He said one more lion would be ok."

Without turning around, Askari knew what was going on behind his back. He nearly could see the lionesses' warning glares reflecting in Ushindi's eyes.

"But… I'm afraid it's either all of us…. Or none", Ushindi continued, with sadness in his voice.

"But… but… we… what about us?", the lioness stuttered with a shaking voice.

"Jiwe…" Softly, Ushindi nuzzled her. "I'm so sorry, but I promised it. I won't leave them. I cannot leave them."

"But… I thought there was something special between us… You're so different than Hatari. You're kind and funny and you listen to me and I… I love you."

"And I love you too." He wiped a tear from her face. "But I am bound by my word."

"So… so this is a goodbye?" More tears began to show up in her eyes.

"I'm afraid it is. Come here." He pulled her closer and she dug her head into his mane.

"I'll never forget you", Askari heard her sobbing.

"And neither will I forget you", Ushindi answered. Then he let go of her and took a step back. "They… they are waiting for you", he said looking back to where the king and his companions stood.

"And Ruya said I was cruel", Askari quietly mumbled, as he watched Jiwe following her pride members back to where they came from, crying against her mother's shoulder.

* * *

_AN: Introducing: Jiwe. Will we see her again? Maybe..._


	6. Chapter 6

**The queen's favorite**

Growling and snarling the hyenas rolled over the ground.

"Guma!", Chege screamed, slipped right through the two males, who held him and his brother back, and rushed to his friend's aid. Unfortunately, his attempts made everything even worse. Careless in his eager to help, he took a deep breath of the dust the fight whirled up, sneezed, stumbled and crashed right into both opponents. The impact sent Guma to the ground, but sadly wasn't enough to do the same to Masoka. Big and muscular as he was, the larger male didn't even stagger.

"How dare you, you little…!" Furiously, he grabbed the way weaker hyena and threw him aside with ease. "Kill him if he tries that again!", Masoka shouted at his henchmen and turned back to his target.

Just in time Guma managed to roll aside, as the powerful jaws closed right where his throat had been a split second ago. He got back on his feet only to be tackled down again instantly. All air left his lungs as Masoka threw his full bodyweight against him. He wanted to scream but without a single breath in his body nothing but a weak gasp left his throat as he felt the other's teeth on his skin. Teeth that could crush a buffalo's bones like dry twigs, teeth, that could crush _him _like a mouse.

"Stop it! Please! Take our prey, just let him go!"

The fearful screams of the wounded lioness sounded muffled and far away, even though Guma knew she was quite closed to them, laying right next to the dead antelope in the grass. It wasn't even a big one. What a stupid reason to get killed for. Why had he even tried to protect this stupid lioness and her even stupider son? Maybe he himself was the stupidest one here…

"Watch out!", someone shouted and ferocious growling and snarling was heard, but Guma couldn't see who it was. His eyes were covert by the short grass Masoka's paw pressed him into, exposing his neck. Then he felt the jaws slowly closing around his throat. He knew, that if Masoka wouldn't be enjoying this so much, he would be dead already. Despite the fact, that the fight was already lost, he tried to kick his enemy's belly with all the remaining strength he had left. There was no escape, but he wasn't willing to accept that. He yelped, as Masoka's teeth ripped through his skin, but it was more a sound of surprise than of pain. That was no bite. His jaws not fully closed, Masoka was pulled back from his victim. Now it was him, who yelped in pain. Gasping for air, Guma rolled on his belly and finally registered what was happening.

More hyenas, this time females, had arrived and were busy beating the shit out of Masoka's five henchmen, while he himself now was in serious distress. The hyena, who had grabbed him furiously tormented him with her teeth, covering him in countless wounds. She was big, even bigger than Masoka was and at least as muscular. The short hair tuft that extended from her head a bit down her neck flew from one side to the other, as she threw the male to the ground. Her brown fur with the black spots was already speckled with his blood. She looked both terrifyingly fearsome and ferocious but also incredibly beautiful at the same time, or in short, just like the hyena queen she was.

Within seconds Siyogwaya had Masoka crawling in the dust before her feet. Despite the visual brutality of her attack, she hadn't severely wounded the male. None of the injuries were fatal, but surely incredibly painful.

"Siyo… why…?", Masoka whimpered, squirming with pain.

"SHUT UP!"

"But Siyo, I did all this just for…ARGH!" He screamed, as she snapped at him and mercilessly tore one of his ears into shreds.

"I said, SHUT UP!"

Desperately trying to swallow the pain and his fear, Masoka clenched his teeth, fighting against the urge to whine.

"Good", the queen growled dangerously quiet. "Now get out of my sight!"

He didn't need to be told twice. As soon as he managed to get up, Masoka turned around and haltingly got on the run, followed by his companions.

"Guma!" Chege, no longer held back came running at his friend. His brother joined him and together they helped Guma up.

With a grimace he came back on his feet. His wounds surely weren't as painful as Masoka's so he simply couldn't risk showing any more signs of weakness in front of Siyogwaya. There had already been too many.

"What happened here?"

Nearly relieved, Guma noticed, that the queen wasn't looking at him. He wasn't sure, if he could talk right now. On the other hand, it didn't seem to be a good sign that she wanted to hear it from the lioness and not from him.

"We… we were out hunting, your grace", Kara began to tell her, and looked at her son, who sat next to the dead antelope. "Moto caught his first own prey and I was about to go find Ifu, when these brutes showed up."

"They tried to steal my kill", the young lion continued her story. "And when I tried to defend it, they attacked us! They hurt my mom!"

"Yes." Kara nodded. "And I don't know what they would have done to us, if Guma had not showed up."

Finally, the queen turned to him. "Come. We'll go for a walk", she said after a moment of silence.

* * *

Without a single word they had been wandering around for quite a while until Siyogwaya finally broke the silence. "So, wanna tell me what happened?"

"But… they already told you, my queen."

"I know", she said. Her voice had nothing left of the harsh tone from before. "But I want to hear it from you. What exactly happened between you and Masoka? Start at the point where you heard the lions' screams. And stop that _my queen_ nonsense. Call me Siyo. I know you already do when you talk to the others."

"Of course, my q… Siyo." He was a little bit shocked about that information, but knew he should have expected it. "I was patrolling through your land with my boys as we often do lately when I heard them. I recognized the lioness's voice and Masoka's, of course and, I have to admit, I already knew at that moment what was happening."

"You knew? How comes?"

"Well, it's no secret that things haven't been very well between you and him for quite a while now and…" He stopped, not sure, if it would be smart to continue.

"Go on."

"I thought he started to see me as a threat since I convinced the rogues to offer you their prey", he admitted. "He saw that you appreciated my gift and tried to copy what I did."

Amused, Siyo snorted. It was an unexpectedly cute sound. "Yeah, that truly sounds like him. He's never been a very bright one. And I guess his actions today are prove enough of your theory. He really thinks of you as a threat and I can't blame him for that. He may be strong, probably the strongest male I've seen so far, but you are clever, very clever. And with that, you _are_ a threat to him."

"Thank you, I guess", Guma said slowly, trying to turn the insecure smile showing up on his face into a confident grin. If he understood her correctly, that had been a compliment. Or even more? A hint maybe? He could feel his heart beating faster. The day had started as a disaster, but now he found himself closer to his goal than ever.

"No need to thank me. I'm just saying the truth. But let me ask you another question. As clever as you are, what in all the great queens' names made you think it was a good idea to step between Masoka and a wounded lioness, despite knowing you were weaker and outnumbered? Please don't tell me you challenged him like this in order to impress me, because if so, I'm not."

It took Guma a moment to digest that, but luckily, she was right. That hadn't been the reason. "I… guess I felt responsible for their situation. If I hadn't used them to get you some food, he would never have bothered them. In a way, it is my fault, that he attacked them."

"So, you're not only clever, but also caring. Another thing Masoka lacks." Now she truly smiled at him.

"So, you… you're not disappointed in me after today?", he carefully asked. "Even though he could have killed me easily?"

"You met him on his battleground and had to fight him in his way, but only because you had no other choice. I know, that if it would have been your plan to confront him, the conditions would have been different. And that you would have been victorious."

* * *

"That's what she said to you?" Chadi stared at him in disbelieve.

"Believe it or not", Guma said, still the slightly stupid looking smile on his face that he couldn't get rid of since he had returned from his walk with the queen. "Today at noon I thought I wouldn't see another sunset and now…"

"Now you're the queens new favorite!"

Startled, Guma hissed at him and looked around. Luckily, he couldn't see any other hyenas close enough to hear what Chege just had said. "Quiet, you Idiot! Do us all a favor and never say that again!"

"What? But… but… but why?", his friend stuttered perplexed.

"Because, only few female hyenas like braggarts", a voice from above scold him. "Especially not our queen." With wide spread wings, Fupa landed between the three. "And it is common knowledge, that _favorite _is not a title or a rank and nothing that is openly announced. If you are a female's favorite, it will be quite obvious. You're constantly hanging around with her without being shooed away, she'll take you with her if she goes on a hunt, let you eat with her and show many other signs of affection… and she will protect you." Shaking its head, the bird looked at the brothers. "Seriously, boys, why do I know all of this and you two don't? I'm not even a hyena!"

"Oh, don't blame them for their simple minds", Guma jokingly defended them, knowing they would most likely don't get it anyway. "I gave up on that long ago."

"I'm not sure if that is going to pay off for even one of you."

"Speaking of that", Guma changed the subject, thankfully bowing his head. "I guess I'll never be able to pay _you_ off for what you did. I owe you my live as much as I do to Siyo."

"And you should never forget this. If I should ever happen to need you…" Giving him a meaningful look, Fupa spread the wings and rose into the air. "See you around, guys."

"What was that supposed to mean?", Chadi asked, gazing after the majordomo.

"Well, what do you think was the reason that Siyo showed up just in time to save our poor asses, huh? The lions? A straying cheetah? One of you two? I don't think so. Of course, it was Fupa, who saw what was going on. I told you guys, that bird on our side is worth more than all the strength Masoka has to offer."

* * *

_AN: Guma is back again. Time for some hyena action! Was Siyo too harsh with Masoka? Up to you to decide.  
_


	7. Chapter 7

**Murder**

Something had happened. Something terrible. He knew that even before the cheetah arrived at the baobab, where he and Siyo had spent most of the day. The shouts of the feline could be heard from afar and even though Guma couldn't understand them yet, he surely could tell they were anything but joyful.

Ignoring all decency rules, the cheetah rushed through the hyenas' lair and finally slowed down. "My queen!", he shouted and tried to pass Guma.

"Wow, wow, wow, slow down buddy", the hyena said and protectively stepped in his way. "Who are you and what's the hurry?"

"Ch… Chapua", the feline answered panting heavily. "My… queen, you… have to follow me! They… they're killing them!"

Instantly Siyogwaya was on her feet. "What?"

"One is down already! Please, follow me! Now!"

"Guma, take your boys and go with him", the queen quickly decided. "I'll grab some of the girls and be right behind you. Now move!"

With a nod Guma gestured the cheetah to lead the way. "Get up and follow me!", he shouted at Chege and Chadi, when he passed them while leaving the lair. Both were seemingly confused about his hurry but immediately did as he said. Side by side with them he followed Chapua into the savannah.

At the time he noticed Fupa flying over his head he already knew where the path the cheetah used lead to.

"Attack on sight", he heard the vulture from above. "Siyo is right on your heels but we can't waste a second!"

"You heard it boys!", he confirmed the order and busted into the lions' lair. "Get them!"

The grass, that had been trampled down within the last weeks was covered in blood splatters. As the cheetah had said, one of the lions was already dead. Ifu was laying on the ground, surrounded by a pool of blood that was running out of several deep biting wounds that covered his neck. Next to him was the corpse of a male hyena. Due to his short mane, Guma had known from the beginning that this lion was no born fighter but at least he had managed to defeat one of his attackers.

Enraged by the sight of the dead lion, Guma threw himself against the hyena that stood the closest to him. Taking him by surprise, he grabbed the guy by the neck and pulled him away from his current victim.

With a hateful roar the young lion got up and shook the second hyena off. Despite his ferocity he fought with, his young age and inexperience made it hard for him to keep his opponent from bringing him down again.

"You!"

His teeth still around the first hyena's neck Guma looked up. On the other side of the lair stood Masoka. He towered over Kara, who was laying in front of him on her back.

"Get away from her! Don't make this worse!"

"Worse?" Salvia drooled out of his mouth as Masoka laughed at him, his voice full of hate and madness. "But you already took everything from me!"

"Let her go and maybe Siyo will have mercy on you!"

"Mercy?" Masoka shook his head, now with an even crazier laughter. "Don't tell me about her mercy! After all I've done for her, she chose you instead of me! Humiliated me! Even preferred those filthy lions over me!"

"She preferred justice over cruelty! Now let Kara go!"

His jaws close to the lioness' throat, Masoka looked around. The fighting was over. Chege and Chadi had managed to take their opponent down. Moto on the other hand was on the ground again. Behind them the sound of paws beating the ground could be heard.

"Masoka!" Finally, the queen appeared, followed by four of her most trusted hyenas. Standing on the end of the path she stared at the dead lion, then she slowly lifted her eyes and looked at him. "What have you done?"

"Oh please! Did you really think I wouldn't seek vengeance for what happened? You were everything to me and these lions and that wimp you call your favorite now are the reason everything we had was destroyed!"

"We never _had_ anything", Siyo snarled at him. "Yes, it is true, I casted an eye on you. You were the strongest male I knew so far and seemed to be a good choice at first, but guess what? You ruined it all yourself by proving to be a jealous, ignorant show-off and a coldhearted brute! Things went down with us long before these lions or Guma showed up."

"Lies. It's their fault!" He lowered his jaws closer towards Kara's throat.

"Hold up, ok?" Coming to the conclusion that reason couldn't convince Masoka, Siyo tried another tactic. "How about this? You let them go now and we will talk about their guilt. Only the two of us. What do you say?"

For a moment, Masoka looked like he really calmed down a bit. A shimmer of hope appeared on his face, but then his eyes met Guma's. "You can't fool me, Siyo."

"Masoka…"

"Not anymore!"

"Please…"

"They took everything from me and now I will return that favor!"

"MASOKA NO!"

Blood splattered his face, as Guma rushed forwards. Somewhere on his left he heard Moto screaming out, in front of him he saw Masoka turning around while the lioness dropped to the ground. He noticed Siyo and three of her hyenas rushing after the male, as he bent over Kara. "Fupa, get the shaman!", he shouted, as he met the lioness' terrified eyes. Coughing blood, she gasped for air. Not willing to accept that his attempts would be in vain, Guma pressed his paws on the wound on her throat, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Moto…"

A quick gaze over his shoulder told him, that the hyena, who had tried to do the same to the young lion as Masoka had done to his mother was already on the ground, mortally wounded by the fourth female, the queen had brought with her. Moto lay next to her, but he was breathing. "He's save!" Guma looked back a Kara. "He'll be all right, he…"

The coughing had disappeared. Motionless, the eyes of the lioness looked up to the hyena in an expression he couldn't read.

In devastating certainty, Guma stepped back from her. There was nothing he could do anymore. He had failed. The lioness was dead.

* * *

"We… we lost him."

Guma turned around from the baobab and saw Siyo coming towards him. Her fur was wet and she looked downcast and exhausted.

"He managed to cross the river. The crocodiles showed up right after he passed it. I nearly lost two of my girls to them. It was too close. We couldn't risk another try with those beasts around." Shaking her head, she sat down next to him. "What sorry excuse for a queen am I?"

"What…? Don't say something like that!"

"But it's true. I should have seen it coming. I knew him better than anyone else. I…"

"He became totally insane! No one could have predicted what he did. If at all I would have thought he would attack me and not the lions." He swallowed hard. "It… it _should_ have been me, not them…"

"If I'm not to blame for what happened, neither are you." Their eyes met, as painful groan sounded from the tree. "How is he?"

"He will survive. The shaman says none of his wounds are fatal. They have to be cleaned so they won't be infected. But…"

"His losses are way more painful than the wounds", Siyo finished his sentence with determination in her voice. "And the least we can do for him is to ensure that justice is done. Masoka must die."

"And he will." Looking at the tree, Guma nodded. "I'll make sure of that. He will pay."

* * *

_AN: Or will he? We'll find out! Btw, I'm curious, how do you like this subplot?_


	8. Chapter 8

**Dissatisfied**

How long had it been since his last fight? He couldn't tell for sure, but definitely too long. There had been only one after his encounter with Hatari and not even a good one. The rogue had turned out to be a crybaby the moment Askari had started to deal blows with his full strength and even fled before the fight had truly ended. As far as the lion considered it, he hadn't achieved anything since his first success, other than Ushindi. He wouldn't admit it, neither to himself nor to the others, but that fact made it even worse. Watching from afar, Askari shook his head and turned away from his friend, who was running around with Cheza, playing one of her stupid games again. Since Jiwe, she was his third and also the youngest so far. It couldn't be long ago that she had reached adulthood and she still loved to play games like this one. Tag. What was the point in chasing someone, if you weren't allowed to take the other down? Merely touching each other with a paw was enough. Not even in his cubhood days, Askari would have joined something like that. Luckily, he wasn't supposed to do that anyway.

"How are they doing?", Tekelea asked, as he returned to their temporary lair. Like the other lionesses she was laying around in the sun close to the dead zebra that served as their food source.

"They look like happy little cubs", he growled. "Just older and even stupider. It's embarrassing. Do you mind?" With a paw he tapped against Chagina's shoulder to shoo her away from the part of the zebra he had just laid an eye on.

"Whoa, watch out, girls", the lioness ironically warned her friends while making way for him. "Our great warrior is grumpy again."

"Wouldn't you be if you had to watch your best friend making a complete fool out of himself?", he replied to her and everyone else who giggled about her comment. "No wonder none of her pride's lions accepted my challenge. They must think of us as a joke after seeing him. I say we should leave this place before it gets too embarrassing."

"I think you're just angry because Ushindi didn't ask you to join them. But you know what? We could play with you if you want", Tekelea jokingly offered, sounding like she spoke to a sad cub. As an answer, Askari simply growled at her and bared his teeth. "What? It could be fun."

"Speak only for yourself, Teke", Shauri said, lifting an eyebrow. "I'm quite sure his idea of fun varies from mine."

"Oh, I think I could handle it." Tekelea looked at Chagina and Shindana. "What do you think, girls?"

"Hmm…" Acting as if she thought about it, Shindana slowly nodded. "The three of us against him? Sounds fair to me."

"Maybe you should stop poking fun at him or he might accept your challenge." Ruya stood up and came over to them. "But jokes aside, I don't like to say this, but this time I agree with Askari. Ushindi really should stop playing around with her."

Surprised by this statement, Askari stopped his attempts of pulling a piece of meat out of the zebra.

"Not because he is acting childish, but because that is just what it actually is. He is acting. It's not fair on her. The last two were rogues, they didn't expect him to stay, but Jiwe was so devastated when he left her and Cheza is even younger. It will be even worse for her!"

"Well, I will not tell him to stop, that's for sure!", Shindana clarified. "We all knew what the boys were up to and agreed to it, even you, Ruya. And you know what? I feel no pity, neither for rogues that pick a fight with Askari, nor for the girls that fall for Ushindi's scam."

"I agree", Tekelea said while lolling on the ground. "Their own fault if they do. But I have to admit that Ushindi is quite good in what he does."

"Yeah! When he left Jiwe I really thought he would consider to stay with her."

"I still think we should leave this place", Askari tried to lead the conversation back to its actual topic. Angrily he struck at the piece of meat and finally managed to pull it out. "I'll bore to death if we stay here any longer." Grumpily chewing on his meal, he looked at Tekelea and her friends. "Maybe I should accept your offer." Amused he watched the lionesses' reactions.

"I warned you", Shauri laughed and even Ruya giggled as she saw her friends' faces.

* * *

Later that day Askari was on his way to the local watering hole. Other than the last time they had been so close to a pride, he didn't try to stay undetected, it was pointless anyway. The pride was large and even had a guard consisting of a few male lions. The king's majordomo had spotted Askari and his friends long before they had reached its borders and even offered them to refresh themselves at their water source as long as they wouldn't stay too long so they wouldn't disbalance the circle of live. So, the two lions had wasted no time. After promising his friend he would do nothing that could lead to them being kicked out too early, Askari approached the guardians to ask them for a fight, while Ushindi went to introduce himself to the pride's lionesses. Sadly, the latter had been more successful with his attempts.

Lowering his head to drink, Askari looked around the watering hole. Two other lions on the opposite side of the small lake were just leaving the place. One was one of the guardians that had turned down his challenge, the other his son. 'Come back when you're older', Askari remembered him saying and suddenly felt the urge to run over to him to teach him a lesson.

"Still angry?"

He tore his eyes away from the guy and looked aside. Next to him stood Tekelea, who also bend down to take a sip of the water. "Is it that obvious?", he asked.

"A blind one could tell."

"Well, in that case you should know that I'm not in the mood for chit-chat", with a warning glare at her he continued to drink.

"Not even if I knew a way you could get the fight you're looking for?"

"Still wanting to try it? Fine then, get Chagina and Dana and I'll teach you a lesson."

"That's not what I meant." The lioness lifted her head and gazed over to the other side of the watering hole. "I'm talking about him."

"I already asked all the guardians. Seems like none of them is brave enough to fight me in single combat."

"Not him", the lioness said and shook her head. "His son. Jino, if I'm right. I know he also turned you down, he's about our age, so you surely have asked him. But I think I know of a way to change his mind."

Finally, Askari stopped drinking and looked at her. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." She turned around and slowly started to walk away from the water. "I mean, only if you're interested of course."

Still not sure if this was one of her jokes, Askari stood there. Then he gave in to his curiosity. "Ok, ok! I am interested, Teke. Tell me more."

A grin appeared on the lioness' face, as she stopped and waited for him. "Well", she said, as he reached her. "Have you noticed that Jino casted an eye on our little Heba?"

* * *

_AN: Ok, this one's title is a bit weak, but seriously, I had no idea how to name it. But hey! Maybe Askari will get his next fight!  
_


	9. Chapter 9

**A fateful challenge**

The next day Askari woke up early. Eager to put her plan into action, he searched the lair for Tekelea but the lioness was already gone. It took him a while until he found her on a hill close to the watering hole. "There you are", he greeted her and sat down next to her. "Have you seen him already?"

"Don't be so impatient", she jokingly rebuked him. "Or you might look like the stupid cub you blame Ushindi to be."

"Ha, ha", Askari mumbled, knowing she was right. "You didn't answer my question."

"No, he wasn't. But his father was before he set of for patrol. Don't worry, he'll be here any moment."

"Did you talk to Heba?"

"Why should I? I already know she's not interested in him. She told us right after his first approach, even though she was too shy to tell him. She said he seemed suspicious to her and would be too old for her, what he actually is, if I think about it. She's not even adult and he's what? Our age, a little older? I'm sure she won't be angry with you if you fight him."

"I meant, did you tell her we're using her as a bait?"

"Of course not! She would never agree to that and neither would the others, I guess. It's better if no one knows. It'll be our little secret."

"It doesn't feel right not to tell her."

Shaking her head, Tekelea stared at him. "What's wrong? You liked the plan when I told you yesterday. Afraid to lose?"

Incited by her taunt, he looked her straight in the eyes. "No." His voice was totally calm, but determent.

As Tekelea had predicted, they didn't have to wait for long. "There he comes", Askari said after he spotted the lion in the distance. "Your turn, Teke. Impress me."

"It will be my pleasure", the lioness responded with a coquettish grin and set off towards the watering hole.

* * *

Leisurely, Tekelea strolled around the small lake towards the opposite side. Occasionally she stopped, to stretch her legs and yawned, what made her look sleepier than she actually was. "Morning", she mumbled as she stopped a few steps away from the lion, who was already busy drinking.

"Good morning", he greeted her. For a moment it was quiet, while both of them quenched their thirst. Then, he broke the silence. "Excuse me, but you're one of Ushindi's rogues, aren't you?"

"I am." She stopped drinking and nodded at him. "My name is Tekelea, but Teke is fine. And you are… Jino, right? You've visited us one or two times since we arrived."

"Yeah. Puajino, but Jino is ok." He adumbrated a bow. "Guardian in training, at your service."

Giggling, the lioness returned the gesture. This guy knew how to present himself as charming, but Tekelea had spent too much time with Ushindi to fall for this. She could hear the touch of arrogance and superiority in his voice despite his attempts to hide it. Suddenly, she felt respect for Heba and her instinct. Jino surely was everything but the kind and friendly guy he pretended to be. "Thanks for the offer", she responded. "But we already have our own guardian."

"You mean the guy with the dark fur?", Jino asked, keeping up his masquerade. "The one who asked all of us to fight him?"

"Exactly. Askari's our big and strong protector." Purposely emphasizing the last words, she rolled her eyes.

"Really? How comes?"

"He's constantly worried for his little sister, you know? Thinks of every other male as a threat." Lowering her voice, she came a little closer. "But if you ask me, I think he'd like to see her finally getting a boyfriend. Problem is, she's so used to his protection she'd only accept someone strong enough to compete with him."

"Is that so?" With a pensive expression, Jino looked into the vague direction of the rogues' lair. "Uhm… Which one is his sister? Can't remember seeing one with similar fur when I visited you."

"Heba, the youngest of our group", Tekelea said thinking of an explanation. "And actually, she is just his half-sister. Different mothers, you know?"

"I see… So, that's why he wanted to fight us? So Heba could see if one of us is worthy? That explains a lot."

"I guess so."

"And we all thought he just tried to act tough to compensate your other friend's childish behavior."

"Probably a bit of that too", the lioness laughed. Due to Jino's face, she could tell, that in his mind he already began to prepare himself for the fight. She knew she had won even before he said it.

"Where can I find Askari?"

* * *

"I can't watch this!" Snuggling against his shoulder, Cheza took cover in Ushindi's mane. "Jino will tear him to pieces!"

"We'll see about that." Tekelea took her place among the bystanders that had gathered to watch the fight and sat down next to the couple. "Askari knows what he's doing", she assured her, but couldn't stop her tail waving around in tension.

"I think you overestimate your friend", a lioness behind her said. Tekelea didn't knew her name, she was from Cheza's pride. "Jino is meant to become leader of the guard one day. He knows how to fight and I heard he's doing this to impress a lioness…"

"So what?", Tekelea snapped at her, only to regret it instantly. She was tenser than she should be. What was wrong with her?

"Nothing against your friend, of course. He looks strong and all. But Jino usually gets what he wants…"

Resisting the urge to continue the argument, Tekelea turned away from the lioness. The two lions had entered the circle of bystanders.

* * *

The crowd became silent when Askari and Jino walked up to each other. Finally. The dark lion licked his lips. This fight would differ from the last ones. This time, his opponent was a trained warrior. _This_ was a challenge.

"We'll fight one against one", Jino said loudly. "The fight will be over when one of us surrenders for everyone to hear. Leaving this circle equals running away. Intervention from outside also counts as surrender. Are you ready?"

His eyes stuck on him, Askari nodded. "Born ready!"

The moment he said that, Jino jumped. If Askari hadn't carefully watched every of his opponent's movements he would have been surprised by the attack. Just in time he dodged by letting himself fall to the ground and rolling aside. Within an instant he was back on his feet. Roaring, he lifted his upper body into the air and tried to strike at Jino, but none of his paws reached their destination. His opponent also got on his hindlegs and managed to parry Askari's attack. With his paws he wiped the other one's claws out of the way, pushed his head forward and sunk his teeth into him.

"Told you", Tekelea heard the lioness behind her saying, as Askari roared in pain and anger. In none of his previous fights he had been wounded so quickly. She watched, as Jino dug his head into Askari's mane and tried to push him down.

Stopping to push upwards against Jino's bodyweight, Askari let himself fall down. By that he managed to throw his enemy out of balance and ferociously kicked his face with his hindlegs. His extended claws carved through the other lion's face and he felt his teeth losing grip. Rolling on the ground, Askari escaped Jino's grasp and jumped up.

Shacking blood of his face, Jino took a step backwards, then with an angry roar, he threw himself back into battle. Lifting their bodies once again, the two lions exchanged blow after blow and tried to grab each other. Finally, Askari could feel his claws finding purchase on Jino's shoulders. Smashing his head against his opponent's, he pushed his teeth closer towards the other's neck. One of his paws slipped off, as Jino stepped forward in order to overrun Askari. Trying to alter his grasp, the dark lion's claws tangled in his opponent's mane.

Euphoria rushed through Tekelea and she jumped up as she saw how Askari grabbed Jino's mane and pulled his head aside, exposing his throat. This was his chance to end the fight!

Taking the unexpected opportunity Askari closed his jaws around Jino's throat, as the lion stumbled past him. The young guardian fell, pulled aside by his opponent's tangled paw which he landed on. With one of his forelegs uselessly clamped between Askari's head and the stuck leg, Jino furiously lashed out with the other one. He tried to roar but strangled by Askari's jaws no sound passed his lips.

"ENOUGH!"

Askari raised his eyes and saw a lion who stepped out of the crowd into the circle thus ending the fight according to the rules he had agreed to. He opened his jaws and released his opponent. Struggling to loosen their brutal embrace, the two lions tried to get up.

"My… my king…", Jino panted and reluctantly bowed to him barely able to hide the anger in his voice. "With due respect… your intervention… was unnecessary."

"Was it? You've been defeated and had no possibility to announce your surrender. As your king it was my duty to intervene. I hope you respect this."

"Of course, my king", he hissed through his clenched teeth and bowed again.

The king nodded. "Congratulation on your victory", he said to Askari and took a step backwards. "You fought well! Both of you. You can be proud of your skills." With that he turned around and left the circle of bystanders. Then, Askari's friends couldn't hold back anymore.

"You did it!" Tekelea rushed forward, only to be pushed aside by Ushindi who was so eager to congratulate his friend that he nearly knocked him down with his euphoric headbutt.

"An incredible fight!", Chagina shouted.

Tekelea managed to reach him and rub her head against his shoulder only to notice a long bleeding cut that ran all the way down to his elbow. "Guys!", she shouted against the noisy crowd. "Guys, give him some space!"

Blinking to make the stars he saw go away, Askari grimaced. Now with the frenzy of the fight gone that had numbed the pain, he started to feel his wounds and was grateful that one of the blurred figures that surrounded him pushed the others away to make space for him. "Thanks…", he said and after blinking once more he could see clearly again. "Thanks, Teke." Limping on his forelegs he turned around to see how Jino was doing. He stood about two body lengths away from him and looked as bad as Askari. Even though he had lost, a lot of his pride's lions came to congratulate him for the skill he had shown.

"Get away from me!", the young guardian snarled at them as they tried to come closer. Additional to his fury a mad hunger could be seen in his eyes, as he searched the bystanders' lines with them. Then he found who he was looking for. "And? What do you say? Am I good enough?" Not able to control his voice anymore he limped towards Heba, who stood between Ruya and Shauri.

Confused and startled the young lioness froze. "Wh… What? I…"

"Stop it!" Protectively, Ruya placed one of her legs in front of her friend. "What are you talking about? Can't you see you're scaring her?"

"She knows damn well what I mean!", Jino hissed and came closer. Now even the last of his acting skills were gone.

"Stay away from her!" Ushindi had noticed what was going on and stepped between Jino and the lionesses, while Ruya and Shauri lead Heba further away from him. "What's wrong with you?"

For a moment the two stood there, face to face. "That's none of your business", Jino growled and turned away from him. He surely looked like he would love to pick a fight with Ushindi but was clever enough not to do so in his current state. "I won't forget this", he spat out when he passed Askari and Tekelea who sat next to him. Then he left the scene.

"What a creep!", Ushindi growled as he walked over to Askari to aid him walking back to their lair.

* * *

_AN: Askari finally got the next fight he wanted... at the expense of Heba. Teke's idea worked, but was it a good one?  
_


	10. Chapter 10

**The choice of the battleground**

When the first rays of the rising sun touched him, Guma was already awake. Sitting on a big rock on top of a hill he had a fantastic view over the surrounding territory. The dusty plains in front of him were carved with canyons and termite mounds and weird rock formations could be found everywhere. Apart from the few noises his sleeping companions made not a single sound could be heard. The only other living thing he could see was a lone vulture aimlessly drawing his circles in the distance. The land lay in silence, but he knew that the peaceful appearance was deceiving. This part of the Outlands was probably the most dangerous of it all and not only due to the harsh and unforgiving terrain. With thousands of possible hideouts and the fact that it shared a direct border with the Pridelands this place was a hotspot for outcasts, raiders and other scum trying to avoid authorities. No wonder the search for Masoka had led them here.

He stood up and walked up to his companions. "Wake up, sleepyheads", he said and poked them with a paw.

"Huh?" Yawning, Chege opened an eye and blinked. "My turn again?"

"No." Guma shook his head and kicked Chadi, who was still asleep. "No need for keeping watch anymore. It's morning. Urgh, damn, Chadi, wake up!"

Finally, the last of the trio jumped up. "Ouch! What was that?"

"We're moving on. Follow me and keep your mouth shut. We're not the only ones in this wasteland and I want to avoid as much unnecessary trouble as possible."

* * *

It was already late afternoon when they found the first sign of someone else's presence. It was Chadi who heard the laughter. Judging by the voice it was no one they knew, but definitely a hyena. Following the sound, they had reached another, deep and rocky canyon. A disgusting smell was in the air, strong enough to hide every other scent. Carefully, Guma crouched towards the edge and looked down.

The ground below was soot-blackened and covered in piles of giant bones. The opposite wall was as high as the one Guma was standing on, but there was a wide crack splitting it in halve. It reached all the way down to the ground and by that gave access to the Pridelands. To the left, the canyon narrowed and ramified. He also noticed holes in the ground that smoldered in green and red. The steam that came out of them was probably the origin of the bad smell.

"We have to get down there", Guma said and looked back at his companions. "Spread out and find a way. But be careful. As I said, we better stay unnoticed for as long as we can."

Chadi gulped but then he and his brother nodded. It wasn't hard to see that neither of them was keen on entering that place, but they obeyed the order. A few moments later they found what they were looking for and began their way down.

Carefully, they snuck through the labyrinth the canyon formed on its left side. Another laughter had sounded from here and Guma was eager to find out, who it was. Probably he or she had seen Masoka or at least signs of him. They stopped at a junction and listened.

An insane giggle was heard from behind one of the corners, followed by a punch and a yelping.

"This isn't funny!", another voice growled angrily.

"Well, it is, Banzai", a third hyena giggled, a female as it sounded.

"Is not! If that jerk would have chewed on your butt you wouldn't be laughing right now! I won't be able to sit for days!"

Once more a nearly hysteretic laughter was heard, again followed by yelping and snarling.

"I'll show you how funny that is!"

"Well, if I were you, I wouldn't put my face near that ass", the female giggled.

"Why n… Bah!", Banzai shouted and began to retch in disgust.

"Enough!" Another, yet unheard voice sounded. It was male but definitely not the one of a hyena. Instantly the other three became silent. "Good", the voice said. It sounded both uninterested and uppish. "Could you now please stop wasting my time and tell me why I am here?"

"Well, we… I thought you could… you know… kick him out? Please?"

A short moment in silence went by before the question was answered. "No."

"What? Why not, Scar? You're bigger than him, you could do it with ease!"

"Because it would raise questions if I'd return to Pride Rock with wounds. I cannot risk that my brother finds out about our little… alliance. Or would you prefer to dispense with the little gifts I provide you with?"

"Urgh… well, of course not!", Banzai struggled.

"And if the three of you can't even handle a single intruder, maybe my generosity is wasted on you anyway."

"B… But… That's not…"

"Oh, shut up Banzai!", the female growled. "I'm sorry, Scar. If I had known that this was why he wanted to talk to you we would never have bothered you with this. Surely, we can deal with him! Just forget about it."

"Well, if you say so, Shenzi, who am I to distrust you?", Scar said in an ironic tone of voice. "But jokes aside, you better solve this… problem, before it gets out of hand. If your new friend causes trouble in the Pridelands you might attract the king's attention. You wouldn't want him to pay you a visit, would you?"

Steps were heard and Guma pushed his friends behind a big rock. Just in time they took cover, as a lion came around the corner.

"Darn fools", he muttered and made his was through the canyon until he reached the crack and vanished into the Pridelands.

"Phew, that was close", Guma heard Shenzi saying.

"Close? You backstabbed me!", Banzai growled. "You told me to ask him for help!"

"Yeah, so? It was a bad idea and I had to get out of it somehow."

"But we ain't out of it! Now we have to face him again!"

"Would you prefer Mufasa to come around to whup your ass? It'll be more than just days you won't be able to sit if he gets you!"

"Of course, not", Banzai reluctantly admitted. "But still our problem remains!"

"Not necessarily."

Surprised the three hyenas turned around.

"I'm sorry, but I couldn't miss hearing your discussion", Guma apologized as he walked up to them, Chadi and Chege right behind him. "But if you're interested, I'd be glad to offer my assistance."

* * *

Night was about to fall and Guma was laying on a rock in the middle of the elephant graveyard. He had spent the day getting familiar with this place. Now he knew every pile of bones and every rock, but the most important feature of the area were the glowing holes in the ground. Intently, he watched them and the hot steam that occasionally shot out of them. He already had noticed that some of them were more dangerous than others. The temperature and intensity of the outburst varied from hole to hole. Some weren't stronger than a summer wind but others had enough force to send large rocks flying through the air or where hot enough to set someone's fur on fire if he or she stood too close to the outburst. Another danger was, that some of them could be triggered by something as simple as someone stepping too firmly on the ground next them.

"You really sure you want to do this?" Shenzi came walking from the hyenas' lair, climbed on the rock and sat down next to him. One of her friends was with her, but he stayed on the ground. "Nothing personal, you know, but I've seen this Masoka-guy… and he'll rip you into pieces if you fight him alone."

A weird giggle came from her friend.

"I know too well what he's capable of", Guma replied and looked back at the hole he currently inspected, just in time to see it releasing another gust of red steam.

"I was wondering", Shenzi continued. "Why are you doing this? What's the matter with you and him? The way you talk about him sounded like it's something personal to you."

"It is", Guma growled. "He murdered some people I liked and tried to kill me as well.

"Sorry to hear this", Shenzi said. Guma wasn't sure if she really cared, but it didn't matter anyway. "Friends of yours?"

He didn't answer. Instead he turned to the opening in the canyon wall and then to the path he had used to come here. Had Ifu and Kara really been his friends? What he had said was true, he had liked them, but friends? He pushed the thought aside. "Are these two the only entrances?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Can't risk being surprised by him." He got up. "Well, I think I'm ready. If you'd be so kind to tell him where he can find me?"

"If you really wish so." Shenzi jumped down from the rock and began walking. "Good luck and don't be defeated too quickly. At least weaken him for us, ok?"

Without responding, Guma looked at her. No, not this time. Today, he was the one who chose the battlefield and the one who set up the rules for the fight. Today, he had the upper hand, even if Masoka wouldn't notice it. Today, justice would be done.

* * *

_AN: Hey, some familiar faces from the movies! Hope I don't anger anyone with my depiction of them. _


	11. Chapter 11

**Justice**

"So, it's true." With an evil but somehow happy grin, Masoka entered the elephant graveyard. His eyes had already found Guma. Banzai and Ed, who were laying around close to the entrance jumped up and moved away from him. "Yeah, back off." The rogue hyena turned around and looked at Shenzi as she also slipped into the canyon. "No wonder the hyenas around don't accept you as matriarch, if you send weak males like this one against me instead of fighting me yourself."

Growling at him, she walked over to her friends.

"Careful, girl, or I'll teach you a lesson, after I'm done with this wimp", he snarled. "You three stay out of this, just like the two over there." He nodded at Chadi and Chege. "They already know the game, right boys? Obey or if not, you'll die as well!" Now certain, that none of them would intervene, he focused his eyes on his opponent. "And you…" An insane giggle left his lips. "Everyone thinks you're _so_ smart, but coming here was the stupidest thing you could ever do. Now there is no escape for you. No strong female around to save you. This time, Siyo is too far away, to hear your cries. What a pity. I would love to see her face when she figures out that she chose the wrong hyena!"

"For someone with such a poor intellect that were quite some words!" Guma jumped down from his rock and slowly walked up to him. "I bet you had to practice this speech every night since you ran away."

Slowly they began to circle each other. Staring at Guma, Masoka began to drool. He could feel, how every part of his body got worked up about the revanche that was so close to him now. His torn ears twitched in excitement, eager to enjoy the sounds of his enemy's suffering. His jaws snapped into the air in anticipation about the flesh they were about to tear, his tongue craved for the blood, that would be spilled. His eyes hungered for the sight of the carnage he would leave behind. With all these thoughts consuming his mind he let his anger and hatred push him further and further to the edge… until it all broke free.

A growl nearly loud enough to compare to a lion's roar left his throat, as Masoka rushed forwards. Missing his target only by the width of a hair he crashed into a pile of smaller bones, sending some of them flying through the air. The attack had been inept but forceful enough to crush Guma, if he hadn't stepped aside just in time. Within the glimpse of an eye he was back on his feet and lashed out at his retreating opponent.

Guma was quick, but not quick enough to fully escape the strike. He felt Masoka's paw hitting one of his hindlegs and nearly fell.

Feeling his hunting instincts taking control over his body, Masoka speed up and followed his prey. Prey, that was all Guma was for him. Just like in their previous fights, the weakling had no chance to stand against him, so he took flight. But this time there was nowhere to run, no one to save him in the last moment. His teeth smashed against each other, as he repeatedly snapped at Guma. He didn't get hold on him, but each time he missed, his excitement for the hunt only became bigger and bigger.

Pillars of hot steam that busted into the air forced Guma to zigzag. Too early! He withstood the urge to look back to find out how close Masoka was. He couldn't risk to stumble or to step in one of the holes. If that happened, he'd be torn to pieces or burned alive… or both.

Greenish smoke hissed out of the ground behind Guma, but Masoka didn't care. Not even reducing his speed he closed his eyes and jumped right through it. He felt the heat, but it was endurable. When he opened his eyes, he saw that the distance between him and his target became smaller. And even better, he could see where Guma was heading. Right into a dead end!

Hearing Masoka's steps become slower, Guma ran around a corner… and promptly stopped. He was surrounded by big rocks with either too sharp or to slippery edges and a huge pile of boned that definitely would crumble and burry him underneath if he'd try to climb it. The ground was covered in holes, glowing in a reddish light.

Slowly and with a mad grin on his face, Masoka walked around the corner. He already knew there would be no way out for his victim. A small gust of steam busted out of a crack in the ground in front of him, but he simply stepped onto it with a paw, thus sealing it. It was hotter than he had thought, but what was a burned paw compared to the satisfaction that was waiting for him? "I told you", he giggled at Guma, who stood right behind one of the larger holes in the ground. "There is no way out, no help to be expected, just you and me." An evil laughter shook his body, as he walked closer towards his prey, who tried to keep the hole between them. "Well, I could tell you I'm gonna make a quick death for you, but it would be a lie. I'll rip you apart piece by piece and I'll make sure you'll live until the very end! I will crush your bones and feast on your flesh and when I'm done, I'll dump what's left of you in one of these stinking holes!" He kicked a stone into the one closest to him, causing it to spit out a hissing flame.

"You're talking too much!", Guma growled at him with clenched teeth, seemingly getting ready for the fight. "Come on!"

"With pleasure!" Masoka rushed forward, his jaws wide open and the eyes focused on Guma's neck. This time he would not miss. In front of him, Guma jumped in the exact moment he did… but the expected collision didn't happen. The time seemed to slow down, as Masoka watched, how Guma jumped, not towards him, but upright into the air, just high enough for all four of his paws to leave the surface. Then he dropped down and hit the ground. Before Masoka landed or even noticed his mistake, it happened.

The blast of fire, boiling hot steam and shards of the rocky ground that broke off the hole's edge, hit the hyena midair. Unable to react, Masoka was ripped away by the force of the eruption.

Pulling his legs to his body to prevent them from getting in the deadly blast, Guma lay on the ground. The heat forced him to keep his eyes closed and he didn't dare to breath fearing the hot air could burn him from the inside. Then the hissing noise of the flame disappeared. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

The fire was gone. Steam and smoke were still coming out of the hole, but without any pressure or force. Small rock shards and ash fluttered down on him, as he carefully tried to get up. Even though it was unlikely; he was afraid to cause another eruption. Back on his feet again, he looked around.

Smoke rose from the body, that lay in front of the bone pile. Where the blast had hit him, Masoka's fur was burned, the skin charred and pierced with sharp pieces of rocks. One of his legs seemed to be broken, probably due to the impact on the ground, but it was obvious; this hyena would go nowhere. Blood ran out of his weakly moving muzzle, his eyes where opened wide in terror, as Masoka saw Guma stepping into his field of view.

"Did you really think I would willingly face you without having a plan? That I would challenge you, only to run immediately?", Guma asked and bend down towards his beaten foe's head.

With incredible pain slowly making its way into his consciousness, Masoka tried to get up, but his body denied his orders. Panic rose in him, as Guma's head came even closer.

"I could leave you here to croak like the miserable creature you are, but you're lucky", he heard him saying. "I'm not like you. I'll make it quick." With that said, Guma disappeared and he felt something grabbing his neck. Then everything turned black.

* * *

"It is done, my queen." Guma stood under the great baobab in front of Siyo, Fupa and some of her other advertisers. "Masoka is no more."

"Excellent work, Guma", she said. "I'm sure, you… brought something to prove it?"

"Of course!" He gave Chege a sign, who stepped forward and placed a small piece of fur in front of the queen's paws.

Siyo bend down and sniffed on it, then she nodded at the surrounding people. "It is confirmed. Go. Spread the word. Justice has been done. The murderer is dead and our kingdom is safe again."

The bystanders bowed cheerful and went to follow her order. Some – like Fupa – congratulated Guma when they passed by.

When they were gone, Guma looked at his companions. "Why don't you go ahead, boys? I'll catch up later", he said to them.

"Why? Is there something el…" Chege stopped as he saw the meaningful glare Guma gave him. "Oh… Ok, see you later." Together with his brother he turned around and finally, Guma and Siyo were alone.

"I knew you would make it!" With a few steps Siyo reached him and rubbed her head against his cheek.

"Well, I wouldn't dare disappointing my queen, would I?", he answered, smiling all over his face.

"No, you wouldn't." She took a step back and grinned at him. Then she cleared her throat and continued in a more serious voice. "We… we should tell him, don't you think?"

"Yes", Guma agreed. "He should hear it from us."

"Then follow me. His recovery went on very well, so he could leave the shaman's care yesterday. He's at his parents' old lair." As she looked at him, Guma was sure to see sadness in her face. "We… offered him to join the clan. I thought it was wrong to leave him alone with his grief, but he rejected. Let's hope the news of the murderer's death cheers him up a little."

* * *

"You… WHAT?" The young lion jumped up.

"Yes, he's dead. Justice has…" Without finishing her sentence, Siyo stopped speaking and a look into Moto's face was enough for Guma to know why.

Neither happiness nor relief was to be seen in his expression, only disbelief… and fury. "You went out and killed him… without me?" It couldn't be missed, that he struggled to keep his voice in check and obviously failed in doing so. "You're telling me, that you took the only possibility for me to avenge my parent's death away from me, and dare to call it JUSTICE?"

Visibly startled, Siyo looked at him. "But… I thought…"

"You thought? I'll tell you what I think! I thought that asking me to join a firkin hyena clan was the worst insult I could ever get, but THIS…!"

"HEY!" Guma stepped between him and Siyo. "Calm your voice in front of her!", he rebuked him. "Nothing of this was her fault. What are you even thinking? That you could have beaten him alone? Well, think again! You were wounded and even if not…"

"I told my parents it was a mistake to stay here!", Moto kept hissing at them. "And they paid it with their lives."

"You should be thankful for what we have done for you!"

"Thankful!" Spitting in front of Guma's feet, the lion turned away from him. "I'm done with you. It really is like everyone says. Never trust a hyena."

"Moto, please…" Siyo followed him, as he began to walk away.

"Please what? Stay with you? With him? I'd rather have died with my parents!"

With her ears folded back, Siyo looked after him. "Well, if that is what you wish… But if you reconsider, remember, that you could have a home here. I promise, you're always free to return. We owe you that."

"If I'd ever return to this place", Moto said without stopping, now pure hate in his voice, "it will be the death of yours. THAT is a promise."

* * *

_AN: What do you think about Moto's reaction? And Masoka... did he deserve what he got? Feel free to let me know, I'd love to hear your oppinion on that. Btw, for now this was the last chapter featuring Guma, Siyo and her clan. It will take some time until we met them again but they'll definively come back._


	12. Chapter 12

**First blood**

Roars and screams sounded through the savanna. It was still early in the morning, just moments after the first light of the sun had appeared.

"Seriously? How impatient can a lion be?", Shauri growled, visibly angered about the rude awakening. "His last fight wasn't that long ago! Couldn't he have at least waited with feeding his stupid ego until we all woke up by ourselves?" She walked over to Ushindi, who seemed as sleepy as the rest of the lionesses. "We've been walking for days and now he can't even grant us the rest we deser…"

"That's not me!"

Shauri froze, as she heard Askari's voice right behind her.

"Believe it or not, but I like to sleep as much as you do", he said as he passed her. Then he turned to Ushindi. "What's wrong?"

"Sounds like someone is in some serious trouble", his friend answered. "We should go check it out."

"Eager to save a damsel in distress, huh?" Askari grinned at him.

"Nothing wrong about that. Let's go!" Together they ran off into the direction the fighting noises came from.

* * *

As a few moments later the two males climbed a small hill, they saw the fight where all the screaming and roaring had originated from. Or at least the outcome.

At the bottom of the hill there were four lions. Two of them – a male and a female – lay on the ground, pinned down by the other two. Both of them were males.

Hissing, the captured female tried to get free, but the lion standing over her was too strong. He shifted his weight onto his front paws and dug his claws into her pelt, what made her cry out in pain.

"Stop whining", her tormentor growled. "Just stop resisting and it will be over soon."

"Get away from her!"

"Shut up!", the other victorious lion said. "Dead lions don't talk." With one of his paws he smashed his captive's head on the ground. Then he turned to his accomplice. "We should get this over with before the pride notices what's going on. I don't want any witnesses."

"Second that", the other one agreed and bend down towards the lioness's neck.

"Why are you doing this?", she sobbed as she felt his breath on her skin. By now she had stopped trying to get free, noticing it was in vain. "We didn't do anything to you! Please…"

"It's nothing personal, you know?", the brute said unmoved by her despair. "Good night, sweetheart." With a morbid grin he opened his mouth, but his teeth never reached their target.

Before he could do any more harm to her, Ushindi hit his target with full speed. Now all the training fights with his friend paid off. Before the unsuspecting rogue even noticed what was going on, he was ripped away from his victim and was thrown to the ground. Covering him with blows, one more powerful than the other, Ushindi gave him no chance to offer any resistance. "No witnesses, huh? Well, too late for that, asshole!" Sure of victory, he looked over to Askari, who currently dealt with the other rogue. A mistake, as it turned out. His apparently defeated opponent used the chance. With a quick twist of his body he got back on his legs and kicked sand in Ushindi's eyes. Coughing, Ushindi lashed out, but blinded by the sand he missed the rogue who turned around and ran. "NO! Get back you…!" Ushindi managed to blink the dirt out of his eyes. Seeing that his fleeing opponent was already too far away, he turned to the other fight that was going on.

Askari looked like he had the time of his live. For the untrained eye it was probably hard to notice, but Ushindi, who had witnessed all of his friend's previous fights was sure to see what was going on. This wasn't about winning anymore. Askari was toying around with the remaining rogue… or at least until the guy noticed that his buddy had left him behind.

Suddenly aware of his situation, the rogue tried to escape the fight.

"Ok, playtime's over!", Askari growled as his opponent struggled to get away from him.

"Let… me… urgh!" Slowly the rogue began to panic, as the dark furred lion slowly managed to pull him into a dearly embrace.

"Surrender now, or I'll make you!", Askari growled with his teeth clenched into the other one's mane, trying to grab his neck.

"Argh! Get… off!" The rogue tried to hit Askari's face, stumbled and they both fell to the ground. Now in full panic, he threw everything he had left against his opponent, giving him a hard time holding onto him. It nearly looked like his efforts paid off, as suddenly…

A loud snap was heard and the rogue's body slackened. Shocked, Ushindi looked down at his friend, who let loose of the body.

Panting, Askari got up. Not entirely sure what had happened, he stared down at his fallen foe.

Unable to read the expression on his friend's face, Ushindi came closer. With a paw he poked the motionless rogue.

"Is… is he…?"

Suddenly, something else came back to his mind. He turned away from the corpse and walked over to the lioness that was still laying on the ground. "Doesn't matter", he said and bend down to her. "Are you ok?"

"I… think so", the lioness mumbled as she hesitantly allowed him to help her up, her eyes still focused on the dead attacker. "Th… thank you."

A groan was heard and she managed to turn away from the corpse. The lion, that also had been on the ground during the fight got back on his feet, a painful expression on his face.

"Karama!", the lioness gasped and limped over to him. Ushindi followed her and together they managed to grab him right before he could fall down again. Carefully they made him lay on the ground again.

"Better stay there until help arrives", Ushindi advised him. "You really _don't_ look ok!"

Karama nodded exhausted. "But I'm alive. We are alive, thanks to you and your friend over there."

"Thank us later." Hearing someone approaching from behind, Ushindi turned his head around. Tekelea and the other lionesses had arrived and carefully approached the battlefield. He looked back at the two injured. "Don't worry, they're friends. Just tell us where we can get help and what even happened to you."

* * *

After Ushindi had send Ruya and Heba to the place that Raha, the lioness described as their pride's lair and had listened to their story he walked over to Askari, who still stood in front of the dead rogue. Tekelea stood next to him, seemingly unsure what to do or say.

"Their names are Raha and Karama", he began repeating what he had learned. "They're the prince and princess of this kingdom. They were on patrol when this guy and the other one ambushed them. The two were lingering around in this area for a while now but hadn't done anything suspicious until now. They attacked without a warning and took them by surprise. When Raha was taken down, her brother surrendered after they threatened him with kill her. Bad idea as it turned out."

"I didn't mean to kill him." Askari's expression remained unreadable. What he said didn't sound like an excuse. It was just a simple statement.

"Hey, it's ok", Tekelea tried to comfort him and carefully headbutted his shoulder. "He deserved it. He tried to murder these two poor fellas over there. You saved them."

"Yeah…", Askari mumbled, seemingly lost in thoughts. "I… guess so."

"Want to meet them?", Ushindi offered. "They'd like to thank their savior."

"Sure…" He shook his head like to get rid of a twig stuck on his mane. Then he licked a little blood off his muzzle and nodded. The weird expression on his face was gone. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

_AN: (Attempted) murder mystery! And how does Askari cope with the... situation? And nope, Cheza is not a thing anymore (I guess most of you know by now what kind of guy Ushindi is)_


	13. Chapter 13

**The pride of the lone tree **

"I'd never have thought to be grateful about you coming here, but I couldn't have been more wrong. You saved the future of our kingdom; the lives of my children and I owe you more than I'll ever be able to repay." The king lowered his head into a bow.

"Yes", Raha agreed and followed her father's suit. She stood next to her brother, who was still laying on the ground while the queen treated his wounds.

"We only did what any sane lion would have done in such a situation", Ushindi said and proudly returned the gesture.

"But I still don't understand…" The queen took a break from cleaning a nasty cut on Karama's head and looked at them. "Why did they do this?"

"A good question indeed, your highness", Ushindi replied. "Sadly, we can't ask them." He glimpsed over to the place where the dead rogue was laying. "I don't think the other one is going to return."

"At least the danger is over now. This rogue won't hurt anyone ever again." The king's eyes found Askari, who stood between Tekelea, Chagina and Shindana. "It was him who did it, right?"

"Yes." Ushindi nodded. "It was an accident. He didn't mean to do it."

"He did what he did in order to save my children. For me, that justifies everything he did, intended or not", the king clarified. "But enough of this." He walked over to his children and his mate. "Are you able to walk, son?"

Karama nodded, then he got up with his mother's and sister's aid.

The king turned back to Ushindi. "Why don't you and your friends come eat with us?", he offered. "It's the least we could do for you."

* * *

Shortly after, Ushindi and his friends were led towards a large group of lionesses that was gathered around a high lonely tree.

"Well, it's not Pride Rock, but it's our home." The king turned around to the lions following him and smiled. "Come, I'll introduce you to the pride."

From afar, Ushindi could see something moving between the tree's branches, then a lioness, who seemingly had been on the look-out jumped down from it and came running towards them. She was an adult, but a little younger than Raha and her brother.

"Mom, dad!", she shouted, as she came closer. "What happened? Are they…" She stopped both running and talking, as she saw Raha and Karama walking between the king and the queen. "Oh." A weird expression found its way on her face but it was gone as quickly as it came, so it could be missed by blinking in the wrong moment. "Thank the great kings, you're alive!" She continued her way and rubbed her head against those of the two wounded lions when she met them. "When I heard you were attacked by rogues, I feared the worst!"

"Hey, sis", Raha greeted her a little puzzled as it seemed, but then she happily sighed. "Yeah, it was close. If it hadn't been for these two, we wouldn't be here right now." She nodded into Ushindi and Askari's direction.

"We'll tell you everything while we dine, Weupe", the queen assured her daughter. "Has the hunting party returned already?"

"Yes. They took down a wildebeest. It's over there in the grass." She pointed at the spot.

"Thanks, hun." The king nuzzled her quickly before turning to Ushindi. "Please, join us", he said with a smile.

Ushindi and Askari followed him and the other royals and lay down around the freshly killed prey. Eating together with the king and his family before the other lionesses of the pride was an honor none of them would reject.

As they ate, the queen told her youngest daughter what had happened. The girl listened carefully and when her mother was done, she looked at Ushindi.

"I can't thank you enough for what you've done for my siblings", she said and smiled at him. "As long as you're our guest, come to me if you need anything. You too of course!" She turned to Askari, who was gnawing on one of the wildebeest's legs. He hadn't said much since the fight, so Ushindi had done most of the talking. He simply nodded in response.

"Is he… ok?", she quietly asked as she turned back to Ushindi. "I mean… you know, he killed someone. I can't even imagine how he feels right now."

Ushindi glanced at his friend. "Don't worry about him", he then said. "This wasn't his first fight and he's a tough guy. The toughest I've ever met. I'm sure he'll be fine."

"Well, even if he doesn't ask, if you know anything I could do for him, please let me know." Once more she smiled at him, then she stood up. "I think I had enough. If you'd excuse me?"

"Huh?" Her mother looked at her in surprise. "But you've only had halved as much as usual. Are you ok?"

"Oh mom", Weupe responded, giving her a slightly annoyed glare. "It's Raha and Karama who were beaten up, not me. But, yeah, it's been quite some commotion today and I'm thirsty and would like to get some rest. I'll be at the watering hole if you're ok with it."

For a moment the queen looked like she would deny her daughter's wish, but then she nodded. "I am. The danger is over, I guess. Be safe, darling."

"Thanks mom." The lioness let her mother nuzzle her and looked around. "Later, guys. Ushindi, Askari." Then she turned around and quickly walked off.

"She's always been a bit of a loner", the king explained to Ushindi. "But all in all, she's a good girl. It's… not easy for her, you know? "He gave him a suggestive gaze. "Raha is my heir, and Karama is betrothed to the princess of a neighboring pride. Weupe is the only one that will end up empty if no opportunities open up. And sadly, it doesn't look like that would ever happen. I think that's something you can relate to."

"Huh? What makes you think so?", Ushindi asked. Suddenly he remembered something the king had said before. "Wait, when we met at the place your children were attacked, you said something like you wouldn't have thought to be happy about us coming here. You were expecting us to do so?"

"Well, kind of", the king admitted. "News travel, you know? Some time ago I heard about a king who had lost nearly halve of his pride to his younger brother, and later about a large group of traveling rogues. I simply put one and one together... _Prince _Ushindi." He gave him a small grin. "It seems like you either cause trouble everywhere you go or have a talent for following it. Luckily the latter seems to be the case."

"Yeah, luckily…" Ushindi looked up as he saw Askari standing up.

"I… I guess I need some water too", his friend said, as he noticed everyone was looking at him. "I'll just go find that watering hole of yours."

"Of course! Do you want me to bring you there?", the queen said and quickly described the way after he turned down her offer to guide him.

"Are you sure your friend is alright?", she asked Ushindi, after Askari was gone.

"Well, yeah", he confirmed, although he wasn't entirely sure anymore. "He probably just needs some time for himself. It was a rough day for him after all."

The king nodded understandingly. "Well, maybe he meets Weupe there."

"Maybe", Ushindi agreed. Then he began to change the subject to turn the discussion into a lighter conversation.

* * *

Finally alone, Askari looked down into the water. There was still blood on his muzzle. He couldn't tell if it was from the rogue or from his meal. Somewhere in his head he heard Weupe's words. The lioness had thought to be too quiet for him to understand her, but she had been wrong. He didn't really care about what she thought about him, that wasn't what bothered him. It was the fact that she was right. She couldn't imagine how he felt… but not the way she probably thought…

* * *

The sun was already gone when Ushindi and Askari lay down next to each other, a little away from the rest of their group. This time there was no need to find an improvised lair, away from the pride, for they were guests of the king.

"How comes you're not with Princess Raha?", Askari asked his friend, more to distract himself from his thoughts than out of curiosity. "Losing you charm?"

"I bet Ruya would love to hear that." Ushindi grinned and shook his head. "But no, I have no doubts I'm still irresistible."

Askari snorted.

"I'm serious", his friend continued. "She would be right here next to me instead of you if she wasn't…" He lost his intentionally exaggerated tone of voice. "Well, if she wasn't betrothed already."

Now Askari couldn't help but to laugh. This was exactly what he needed right now! "Betrothed?", he giggled. "But I don't see any other male than her father around. Don't tell me you lose a competition with a lion who's not even here."

"That's just what it looks like", Ushindi confessed. "But – just to stop you from laughing your ass off about it – that's not a big deal! Yep you heard right. Because, guess what? It always takes some time to find the right one and there are plenty of other lonely girls around. I was just too focused on Raha today, that's all. Otherwise… well, you know, I would already…" He made a vague gesture.

"Oh, stop it!", Askari laughed. "I'll never get rid of the scenes you make me think of!"

"You stop it, or Ruya will might hear us. Bet she wouldn't approve the way we're talking!"

Quieter they continued their dirty jokes and wisecrack and didn't stop until all the stars had found their way onto the night sky. As Askari placed his head on his front paws and closed his eyes he felt like the events of the passing day had never happened. It was just him, his friends and their quest for adventure.

* * *

_AN: Well, what do you think about this new pride? And hey, Askari feels better now! Sometimes some dirty jokes are everything that's neede to cheer a guy up, I guess..._

_Note: I just decided to add little comments like this under all of my chapters. Good idea or not? Feel free to tell me.__ And I finally figured out how to add this _Horizontal lines!_ (seriously, how did I manage not to do that earlier? It's damn obvious!)_


	14. Chapter 14

**Advances**

"How about a little break, huh?", Ushindi panted. With his eyes he pointed into their spectators' direction. It was a small gesture, only meant for Askari, who noticed it immediately and nodded. Both of them sheathed their claws and finished their sparring session with an amicable headbutt.

With a grin Ushindi walked over to the nearby water hole and lowered his head to drink. He could literally feel her gaze and enjoyed it. After he quenched his thirst, he began to stretch to relax his muscles what felt great after the little training fight.

"Like what you see?", he suddenly asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare." Weupe gave him a slightly embarrassed smile, after seeing that she was the only one still sitting there. The other lionesses had already left, unnoticed by her.

"No need to apologize, princess", he said, as he walked pass her, seemingly intending to rejoin his friends. "Being stared at doesn't hurt, so I'll be fine, I guess." This was already the second time he had caught her doing this and he was glad about it. Of course, he had been right. He'd simply focused on the wrong lioness at first. The wrong sister. And even better, by now he knew she would be the one doing the first step. Since the first day he had noticed the way she looked at him and Askari. Actually, more at Askari at first – she seemed to be very impressed by what she heard about his strength and skill in fighting – but he had already reacted to that. Today's sparring session for example had been Ushindi's idea and luckily, his friend had played along. For their companions it was a known fact that Askari was the better fighter, but for everyone else… This and the previous sparring session the two lions had staged had presented them as equal. It hadn't been hard for Ushindi to convince Askari to do him this little favor. And the plan worked. Quickly noticing Askari wasn't interested, Weupe had turned to Ushindi.

Slow paced, he continued walking, giving her time to find the right words.

"Impressive fight!", she suddenly said.

"Thank you." He stopped and turned around, giving her a smile that she gladly returned. "Come on, what is it?", he added, after a moment passed, with them simply looking at one another.

"Uhm, actually I wanted to ask you something", she admitted. "Surely you remember my offer from earlier, to help you with everything you could need and I thought… Maybe I could show you around? You've barely seen our kingdom since you arrived. Only if you're not too exhausted of course."

His smile became wider. "Oh, I'm fine, and… well, yeah. It would be my pleasure."

* * *

"Well, that was quick, even for him." Lying next to Askari, Tekelea watched the two lions. "Just look at them!" Imitating Weupe, she flicked her tail, slowly tickling Askari's chin. "Oh, Ushindi! I know we're only dating since yesterday, but if you want you could have me right now in those bushes over there!"

While the lioness chuckled, barely able to stop herself from laughing out loud enough to alert halve of the kingdom, Askari rolled his eyes. Like probably everyone he enjoyed dirty jokes among males, but with Tekelea it felt just… awkward. He already regretted coming with her to spy on his friend, but still he had to admit that she had a point. "If I wouldn't know this is what he intended, I'd say she's seducing him and not the other way round." With a paw he wiped her tail tuft out of his face.

"Maybe it _is_ the other way round", Teke chuckled. "Maybe this time it's our lover boy who's being played around with. Wouldn't mind it!"

"What I don't understand is what all the secrecy is about." He stood up and turned, certain the two lovebirds wouldn't even notice him. He has seen enough and the whole situation was getting too awkward for him.

"Me neither. It's not like we're not welcome here. Probably her father would even like to see them together."

Askari sighed. A part of him had hoped she would stay to continue spying, but instead she also got on her feet and followed him. Since the beginning of their journey she had turned out to be the lioness whose company he enjoyed the most, but at the moment she simply annoyed him.

He quickly stopped listening to her, as she continued to talk on their way back to the kingdom's throne and was relieved when they met the king halfway. At least his appearance stopped her from talking about his daughter.

"There you are!", the king greeted them, or rather Askari. "I was looking for one of you guys."

"Well, here I am." Askari bowed his head. "What is it, your highness?"

"Without beating around the bush, on your way here, have you noticed any other rogues following you or heading the same direction?"

A little confused about the question, he shook his head. "Uhm… I don't think so. Did you?" He turned to Tekelea, who also negated.

As a respond, the king simply nodded and quietly mumbled into his mane.

"How comes that you ask?", Askari wanted to know, sensing something was wrong. "Has the other attacker returned?"

"Oh, no. No, it's just… one of my huntresses saw an unfamiliar lion lurking around our border and I thought, maybe you'd know him. I can't be too careful, you know?"

"Totally understandable aft what happened", Askari agreed, seeing an unexpected opportunity arising. "Do you… want me to go check him out?"

"That… would have been my next question, yes", the king admitted, happy about his offer. "The lioness said he…"

A roar followed by screams sounded trough the savanna, making all the lioness's observations redundant.

Within an instant, Askari was on full speed heading into that direction, Tekelea on his heels. He knew the voices the screams came from and even worse, he recognized the roar!

* * *

The attack came out of nowhere. One moment Ruya and Heba had peacefully slumbered in the afternoon sun and in the next, a massive figure jumped between them. A scream escaped Ruya's lips, as a brutal strike send her to the ground.

In terror the younger lioness watched her friend going down, while the attacker turned towards her. She tried to turn around and run, as the lion pounced, but in her panic, she stumbled and fell. His paws reached her and all air left her lungs.

Pinning her down, he dug his claws into her back, not deep, but enough to cause pain, adding to her fear. "Time to teach you a lesson!", he growled and bend down to Heba's ears. "No one turns me down, especially not a filthy rogue!"

"What in all… HEBA!" Another lioness appeared, saw what happened and rushed to her aid. "Get off her!"

With a furious roar the lion let go of his victim, lashing out at Chagina, who tried to grab his neck. Protected by his thick mane, the lion managed to throw her off. A few seconds later, she lay next to Ruya, whimpering and barely conscious. Immediately he turned back to Heba. Now crying, the young lioness tried to craw away from him. She screamed, as she felt him getting hold of her again.

"Make sure to tell your brother about this when I'm done", the lion hissed in her ear as he bent down again. "I want him to know who fathered his… OH YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS!"

The brute looked up and saw yet another lioness rushing towards him. With a swift motion, he dodged her attack and send her to the ground. He already lifted a paw for the final blow, as he saw that she wasn't alone. Two full grown males, one unknown to him, but the other with the dark coat he would never forget followed her and in the distance, he heard the roar of a third. "Told you I wouldn't forget it!", he shouted at the dark one, before he turned around and ran off. "This isn't over yet!"

"So, you _do_ know him!", the king concluded heavily panting and glared at Askari.

The lion was busy checking on Ruya and Chagina. Both were moving, so he turned his attention towards Tekelea, who tried to comfort the sobbing Heba and exchanged an aghast glance. "Yes", he said, his voice like ashes, noticing their mistake way too late. "We do."

* * *

_AN: Do you remember this guy? Well, he kept his word, that's for sure... I hope I'll be quicker with the next chapter, but I can't promise anything._

_Sidenote: I'm thinking about commissioning people on DA to draw ref sheets for my characters. So far, I've got one of Ushindi. The link is on my profil if you're interested. _


	15. Chapter 15

**Solving the problem**

With a mixture of disbelieve, anger and disappointment Ushindi glared at the two lions sitting in front him. In their faces he was sure to see guilt and shame for what they had done, but no matter how honest their remorse was, the damage had already been done. Looking down on her, he put one of his forelegs around Heba, who sat next to him sobbing against his shoulder, her face buried in his mane. She hadn't recovered yet and he could feel her still trembling all over her body.

Somewhere to his right was Chagina. Shindana was with her to aid her with cleaning all the scratches and cuts that covered her left shoulder and flank. On the other side sat Ruya. Shauri was right next to her, keeping a close eye on her friend, afraid she could either collapse or lose it and attack.

After what he had just heard, Ushindi couldn't blame her. This whole situation was their fault and now it was up to him to deal with them. His eyes went back to Askari and Tekelea. Suddenly he wasn't sure if it was a good thing that Weupe's father had decided to let them solve this issue intern. It had never been said and actually he had never really felt like that, but now it couldn't be denied. Every one of his group thought of him as their leader and expected _him_ and no one else to judge. Heck, two of them stood there, right in front of him, waiting for him to judge over _them_!

He tried to meet Askari's eyes, but the lion kept his head low, staring at the ground. Since he and Teke had confessed being responsible for what had happened he hadn't left this position. It was only seconds ago, that they had stopped talking, but for Ushindi it already felt like an eternity. Who was he to judge? He had never been trained for a situation like this or for any royal duties at all actually. He possessed no grater knowledge of the laws. He wasn't even sure if the laws he knew applied to them, being rogues and in a foreign kingdom. But what made him most uncomfortable was the fact, that even if he didn't feel like it, he actually had the authority to pass judgement. He had always seen Askari as his best friend, possibly even as a brother. He had seen him as coequal or due to his abilities – even if he had never admitted it – as superior. But now things had changed…

"So…", he slowly started to speak. "You admit that you lied to Jino and used Heba as a bait to convince him to fight you." It was more a short summary of the events than a question. "And after you defeated him, he felt humiliated and betrayed, so he followed us to nevertheless get his… price. You willingly risked the wellbeing of Heba in exchange for a brawl." He felt himself getting angrier, now that he had said it. And there was something else… a strange feeling, as he looked down on the two, looking all miserable. He swallowed his anger. They were still his friends, and willingly submitted to his judgement. "But none of you could have known that and surely you didn't intend putting her in danger."

"Wait a second!" Growling, Ruya glared at him. "Don't you dare letting them get away with it! Do you even understand what their stupidity and carelessness caused? What that monster nearly did to poor Heba?"

"Yes, I do!", he said, calmly, hiding his anger about her interrupting him. "And I hope you understand, that neither Askari nor Tekelea wanted this to happen and clearly feel bad for it. But…" He raised a paw to cut her off before she could say more. "Yes, I see that they still deserve some sort of punishment for their actions, if it's that what you want to hear. So, I suggest the following." He focused his eyes on Askari and Teke. "None of us is deaf. We all heard Jino's words and I think we can all agree that the threat is to be taken seriously. He'll try again. You two will take care of that threat. I do not care how you do it, but you will ensure Heba's safety. You will leave tonight and will not return until you have done so." He loosened his eyes from the two. "Is that ok with you?"

"No, it's not…"

"I did not ask you, Ruya!", Ushindi growled, while Shauri tried to calm her friend. Then he shifted his weight and looked at Heba. "Is that ok with you?"

A little startled, the young lioness stared up to him and then at Askari and Teke. With a paw she wiped some tears out of her face and hiccupped.

For a brief moment, Ushindi was afraid, she wouldn't agree, but then she turned back to him and nodded.

He smiled at her and gently rubbed his head against hers, to advocate her in her decision. "Then so be it!", he said loudly. "Askari, Tekelea, you may not rejoin our group until you can confirm that the threat towards Heba has ended! You will leave us by sunset!"

* * *

It was a short goodbye. When the sun finally set, Askari and Tekelea simply nodded at them. None of them said a word, the looks on their faces were enough. Ushindi stood there, nodding in return. By now he had no doubts at all, that their guilty conscience was actually punishment enough. There was no way one of them was faking it. But still they had to leave. It was better for everyone. Ruya wouldn't calm down with them staying and Heba wouldn't recover while threatened by Jino.

Later, after the two had disappeared into the night, he lay on his back side by side with Weupe sharing these and other thoughts with her.

"I think it was good decision. You really have proven to be a great leader today", she said and smiled at him. "I have to admit, I didn't expect Askari to simply accept your authority."

"Well, he's strong and the most skillful fighter I've seen so far, if that's why you thought so, but he knows his place", Ushindi explained, maybe exaggerating a little in an attempt to impress her. "The lionesses followed me, not him, when we left our home. He knows that. And actually, I think he likes it this way. Not being the first in command, you know? He trusts me to lead us the right way, as long as he gets to do his fighting stuff."

"Just like… you would be the king of your pride and he the guardian."

"Oh, I'm far from being a king and we're not a pride. Those things require a kingdom we could call home."

"But you and your _friends_ behave like that." She tilted her head and looked him in the eye. "Can't you see that? They follow your command. You simply have it in your blood. My prince." She chuckled as she said the last words.

He returned her smile. "Well, it still is not meant to be. The curse of the younger sibling. As sad as it is, I wasn't meant to be king just like you weren't meant to be queen."

"Yeah", she sighed. "But well, you never know…" She stopped, as she noticed his tail curling around her own. "Hey!"

"Enough of this, ok?" A grin appeared on Ushindi's face. "How about, we change the topic to something… more pleasant?"

* * *

_AN: Now it is said. Ushindi is the leader of this group, not Askari or both of them. What do you think? How did he handle the situation?_


	16. Chapter 16

**The thrill of the kill  
**  
Days had passed since Askari and Tekelea had left their friends. Standing on a hill, the dark furred lion closed his eyes and sniffed. Finally. The scent the soft breeze blew through his nostrils was strong enough for him to be sure. Jino wasn't far!  
He looked around to check if Tekelea had returned from her hunt, but the lioness was nowhere to be seen. She had insisted to do the hunting for the time of their exile, so she would actually be of some use, for the fighting would obviously be Askari's job.  
Unwilling to wait for her or risk giving away his location to his prey, he set off into its direction. Actually, Askari had to admit, that he was a little sad the end of his mission was coming closer. He had started to enjoy their punishment and so did the lioness as it seemed. He had started to feel better about his failure with everything step he came closer to the problem's solution. Another plus point was that by hunting down Jino he avoided Ruya's rage. Hopefully she would have calmed down when he returned. But there was even more. He was close to his next fight and this time everything he would do would be totally justified… and he probably the fight's result would tell him more about the strange feeling he had felt after the rogue's death.  
Pushing his thoughts aside, he focused on his task and followed Jino's scent through the savanna. After some time, it led him towards a rocky gorge with only one way to enter. Jino had definitely been here. His scent was everywhere around the trees next to the gorge's entrance and fresh paw prints covered the dusty ground. The newest track seemed to lead right down…  
He stopped and carefully checked his environment. With the trees, some bushes and a few big rocks around, there were plenty of hideouts and the gorge the track lead into had only one entrance. This was the perfect place for an ambush. He felt a shiver running down his spine and suddenly knew, he was right. Someone was watching him!

* * *

From his cover, Jino glared at Askari. Why did that damn dark coat hesitate? Had he sensed the trap? It wouldn't be that bad, but still Jino wanted him to go down there. If he entered, it would be impossible for Askari to flee when he realized, that his attacker was stronger, a circumstance Jino wanted to ensure. Giving Askari one more moment to move into the trap, he prepared himself. It would be hard fight in any way, but he was sure. Today he would get his revenge on this filth rogue! And with him out of the way… He licked his lips in thoughts of the young lioness.

* * *

There, between the rocks… Quickly, but not too obvious, Askari turned his eyes away from him and continued searching the area but now aware of him. This wasn't really a trap. Jino had chosen the battleground, a place where he could be sure, Askari would have trouble to avoid fighting till the end. That arrogant jerk still thought of himself as superior, thought, Askari would flee when the fight grew too hard… With a grin on his face, he stepped down into the gorge, ready to teach him a final lesson.

* * *

From his hideout, Jino watched the fool entering the chosen arena, the place of his downfall. Suddenly, he wished for spectators, for his pride and the whole bunch of filthy rogues to witness his triumph. Slowly he stood up and followed Askari.

* * *

Hidden behind the tall grass, Tekelea crawled towards her unsuspecting prey. It felt good to hunt, even though she had to do it alone, what made it a lot harder. It gave her the feeling of usefulness. Askari had made it very clear, that he did not want her to aid him in his coming fight with Jino and she hadn't dared to discuss this matter with him. Instead she had claimed the task of supplying them with food and since then did her best to keep him well fed, so he would maintain his full strength. Actually, she had started to like this punishment. The time they spend alone together and the fact that he – at least kind of – relied on her made her feel closer to him than ever before.  
Now she was close enough. Her eyes focused on the young impala, a rare but welcome sight in this area and prepared to pounce…  
A roar sounded, quickly followed by another one.  
The impala jumped up, noticed the surprised and startled lioness and ran, but Tekelea already forgot about her hunt. Askari had found him! They were fighting already! As fast as she could she set of into the roars' direction. Despite her promise to stay out of it, she did not intend to let him alone with his task. Askari's last victory over Jino had been a close one and she wouldn't take any risks. If he needed her, she would enter the fight, if he approved it or not! If only the roar hadn't been that far away!

* * *

Whirling up the dust the two lions tormented each other. Even though they looked nothing alike, it was soon impossible to tell them apart.  
This fight was different from everything they had done so far. No rules were left to be followed, no one was there to intervene. All restrictions were gone. With brutal force they lashed out, dug their teeth into the other one's body and carved the skin with their claws. In no time both of them were covered in bleeding wounds.  
They both seemed to be equal in strength until suddenly, something changed. Slowly but undeniably one of them began to gain the upper hand.  
When he noticed the fight's balance changing against his favor, fear began to crawl into his mind. He felt his body getting weaker due to his effort and wounds and even though his foe suffered from nearly equal conditions, he seemed to deal with it way better.  
This was not how this was supposed to turn out! Not at all! One of his attacks missed and the other one countered, dealing a heavy blow against his head. Tumbling, he backed off, trying to orient himself, but all he could see were the walls of the canyon. Cold panic grabbed him, as the other one growled at him, sensing his advantage. He had to get out of here! The exit, where was the damn exit?  
In a desperate attempt to get away, he dodged his pouncing opponent and jumped out of the dust cloud. His claws dug into the gorge's walls and found purchase. A shimmer of hope found its way back I to his mind. Only halve a body length separated him from the edge! If he managed to grab it…  
A furious growl sounded from below and he turned his head, then powerful jaws closed around one of his hind legs. With a desperate roar he lost contact to the wall and fell backwards, disappearing into the dust.

* * *

A fearful roar sounded, as Tekelea reached the gorge. Pacing along the edge, she stared down into the dust cloud, unable to see anything. She couldn't tell whose roar she had just heard. Finally, she found the entrance and hesitantly entered, fearing she might be too late already. Carefully, she walked through the dust that slowly began to settle. As finally, a silhouette appeared, moving somewhere in front of her, she stopped.

"A-Askari?", she brought herself to ask and fearfully took another step forward, noticing that it actually were two lions. One on his's back and one towering over him, pinning him down, slowly lowering his head.

"Urgh… No! Plea…" The words turned into a burble and disappeared, as the upper lion closed his jaws around his opponent's throat.  
Like in a trance, Tekelea watched the scene, watched, as the defeated lion began to twitch, desperately trying to breathe. Then, with a sound she knew very well from several hunts, the victor crushed the other one's throat.

* * *

The dust settled and covered Askari's bloody muzzle. Motionless, his eyes stare into Jino's. One last shiver ran through the fallen lion's body, then he lay still.

"Askari?" Tekelea's voice sounded far away. Slowly he inhaled, taking a deep breath, as the strange feeling he knew from the last fight returned. The sight of his defeated foe lying dead in front of his paws awoke something deep in his chest. With one of his paws he stepped on Jino's corpse and exhaled. His roar's echo thundered through the gorge as he shouted his triumph out into the world. He had done it again. He had killed an opponent in single combat and now knew what it was, he felt about it! He felt alive and stronger like never before. Disgust about himself creeped into his mind. He had killed another lion… and he had enjoyed it!

* * *

_AN: Jino is dead and Heba is save! Hey!_

_Actually I didn't expect to upload anything this week. I'm on vacation at the moment and wrote this one on my phone while sitting in the car/on a ferry. Hope it didn't effect my writing._

_Btw. I noticed there is a poll function, so I think I'll open some from time to time.  
_


	17. Chapter 17

**Weupe's secret**

The first days with Weupe felt like heaven. Of all the lionesses Ushindi had been with so far, she was the fastest one to embark on whatever he asked from her. But with the time passing by, her behavior changed. Day by day it got harder for him to get what he wanted, while simultaneously, she began to tease him more and more. And something else changed. He was so busy enjoying her company, that he didn't get the careful hints she had begun to drop. Sometimes she mentioned their status as spared heirs and how unfair it was, that both of them would never be considered as true royals. At the same time, she kept calling him _her prince_ and admired and praised his abilities in leading his small _pride_ and his control over its members, especially Askari.  
And then came the first time she asked him for a favor in return for her love. They were cuddling between some bushes and she told him something about how things could be, if she wouldn't have any siblings. He didn't really listen to her and instead tried to turn their cuddling into something a little more intimate, as she gave him a strange look and pushed him away.

"No, my prince", she said with an oddly superior smile. "I'm not in the mood."

"Not in the mood? Awe…", he replied, again trying to get closer. "Isn't there anything I could do to change that? Come on, you know I could."  
After he said this, she seemed to think about it and finally told him that even though they had eaten already, she was hungry again and send him to get her something. Willingly he did so and indeed, was rewarded for it.

* * *

From that day on, she began asking for more of these favors, that slowly became bigger and bigger. Without him really noticing it, she tested, how far she could go with her requests, from something as minor as fetching her some food to things like teaching a leopard – that supposedly had bullied her – a lesson.  
Quickly he learned how to tell what she wanted from him even before she said it and that in these occasions, his reward was better so he tried his best to do so, not noticing how she slowly got control over him… Until one day she revealed her true intentions.  
Like many days the two were cuddling – again with her keeping him at distance – while he tried to figure out, what he had to do to get what he wanted. This time it was even harder and so he gave up and asked her. Sadly she didn't answer and simply kept talking about her favorite theme, how unfair it was that none of them would ever become the ruler of a pride but this time she went even further.  
"You know, sometimes I wish you and Askari would have appeared a moment too late…", she said, giving him a suggestive look.  
"W… what do you mean?", he asked, startled about her words.  
"I mean, with them gone, there would be nothing in our way to get what we deserve…", she answered the question, dreamily looking into the sky. "I would be the heir and the next queen, with you by my side… as the future king."

"A shame we did it then", Ushindi said with a slightly worried expression. "But jokes aside, you know as well as I do that it would have been wrong not to intervene in that situation."

"And you surely know that wrong is in the eye of the beholder." She saw his worried expression and rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you never thought about getting rid of your brother yourself? With Askari following your orders surely it would have been easy for you to take over."

"Uhm… well, yeah, sure", he confessed. "But as you might have noticed, I didn't. He is still my brother. As much as I dislike him, I couldn't kill him, just to become king and surely, you couldn't kill your siblings too."

"Yeah. I guess I couldn't…", she sighed. Then she looked straight at him. "That would be your job."

His eyes widened, he stared at her in disbelieve. "What?"

"Oh, come on!", she growled in annoyance. "It's not like I didn't give you enough hints." She stood up and stared down at him. "You wanted to know what I want in return for letting you have me, so here you go! In fact, you kinda owe me this one anyway, after ruining my first plan."

"Your first…?"

"Seriously, how stupid are you?", she hissed. "Did you really think these two rogues came up with the plan to kill two royal heirs all by themselves?"

"So, you… how?"

"Well, what do you think, sweetie?" She grinned at him, while tickling his chin with her tail tuft. "It all went perfectly well. After a few days they got my hints – not like you dummy – and agreed to fulfill my wish… and then you showed up. But maybe that's not that bad, right? The two had been filthy rogues, actually unworthy of everything I could give, but you, you're of royal blood just like me. You're a way more suitable candidate, don't you think?"

Without a word, Ushindi listened, nearly unable to recognize the lioness in front of him.

"So, I'll offer you the same deal I offered them", she continued while coming closer. He felt her breath on his face, as she stroked her body against his. Again, her tail slid under his chin and wrapped around his neck, as she passed him. "Get rid of Raha and Karama. Do me this last favor and I'll make sure that for the rest of your live, you will get everything you could ever ask for me. And when my parents retire, I will be queen, with you by my side to rule this land as king!" Tempting she continued her way around him, without stopping their body contact. "Just grant me this wish and I'll give you everything you could ever ask for", she whispered, before stroking herself against his chest. "You wouldn't even have to do it yourself. Make Askari do it, or arrange something else. Just make it happen and all your wishes and desires will come true…"

With her body that close to him, he felt hot temptation rushing through his veins. A shiver ran down his spine and his breath became heavier. His whole body screamed to him to accept her offer, but still… This was as wrong as it was tempting.

Sensing his struggle, Weupe rubbed her head against his. "Of course, you're free to refuse", she hissed into his ear. "If you're willing to live with the consequences." She stepped back, giving him a tooth baring grin. "Just imagine how my parents and their pride would react if they found out, that you only defeated the rogues because you planned to overtake their land yourself. And even worse, that you took me by force, leaving me scarred and broken…" With her grin becoming more evil, she extended her claws, letting them run through Ushindi's mane and in the same motion, placed them right on her face, piercing the skin deep enough for a few drops of blood to be seen. Then she sheathed her claws and pulled her paw over her whole face, leaving thin red trails on it. "But that's all up to you to decide." A swift motion of her paw and her face was back to normal. Even the malicious expression disappeared. "I expect an answer tomorrow at noon", she said like it was nothing. Then she turned around and left.

Now alone, Ushindi stood there, staring after her with his heart pounding against his chest. Now it all made sense. The attack of the rogues, how surprisingly quick things with Weupe had been. How blinded he had been not to notice all of this earlier! Damn, what had he got himself into?

* * *

Pacing up and down at the border, Ushindi stared into the distance, searching for a sign of his friends. He knew it had been necessary, but regretted sending Askari and Teke away. Maybe they wouldn't even return tonight. He had no doubts that they were successful in their task, but they were gone for quite some time now. A movement behind his back made him flinch and turn around.

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to scare you", Heba shyly said and stopped walking.

"You would have if you were someone else" Ushindi sighed in relieve. "Why aren't you asleep with the others?"

"I… well… I noticed you leaving and that you headed to the border, so thought Teke and Askari were coming back… I really wanted them to go away after what happened, but…" A little uneased she shifted from one foot to another. "But now I… well… I miss them."

Ushindi nodded and she came closer, sitting down next to him.

"I was so angry at first, but now after they are gone for so long, I just hope they're ok." Heba looked down on her front paws.

"Hey." Hesitantly, Ushindi placed one of his paws on her shoulder. "They're both tough lions. I'm sure they're fine."

Together they stared into the darkening savanna.

* * *

It was getting late. The moon stood high above them and still there was no sign of their friends. Deep in thoughts, Ushindi looked down on Heba. Her deep and peaceful breath told him, that the lioness had fallen asleep. Actually, now that he thought about it, it was no wonder that Jino had been so focused on her. She was a kind and friendly lioness, caring and always eager to help. Compared to the true Weupe he had gotten to know today she seemed to be the most kindhearted girl he had ever met… and with her golden fur and the pretty face it wouldn't take her any longer to grow into a truly beautiful lioness.

He pushed the thought aside. How could he even think about that? He had way bigger things to worry about with his current affair! His eyes went back to searching the darkness for signs of his friends… and finally! In the distance he spotted two dark figures coming his way!

"Heba", careful but firmly, he tapped her and she woke up. "They're back!"

Tired but exited she got up and gazed into the direction he pointed. And truly…

Only a few moments later, a visibly surprised Tekelea was happily greeted by Heba, while Ushindi gave Askari a relieved headbutt.

"Well, I didn't expect this, that's for sure!", Teke said, as the younger lioness rubbed her head against hers.

"I… I was worried about you. And I missed you", Heba confessed and turned her head to Askari, only to freeze instantly. "Oh, great kings!" In shock she stared at the lion's body which was covered in cuts and bitemarks. Most of them seemed to be scabbed, but occasionally she could see blood on his dark fur.

"It is done. He won't hurt her ever again", Askari reported to Ushindi and bowed his head, his expression indicating that he was still in pain from his wounds. Then he looked straight at Heba. "I… didn't expect you to be here, but I'm glad you are", he said and lowered his head once more. "I can't undo what happened, but now you're save again. I hope you can forgive us."

Unable to say something, Heba nodded, her eyes still on his several wounds.

"We're glad you're back save and sound", Ushindi answered for her.

Askari gave him a relieved grin. "And? How were thing going while we were gone?", he asked.

Instead of answering, Ushindi's expression became firmer. "Do you think you can travel, Askari?"

The question took Askari by surprise, as well as the lionesses. "Always", he then replied, although he looked not very fond of the idea.

"Good. Heba, go get the others, but quietly. Make sure no one notices you. We're leaving tonight."

* * *

_AN: So, it's no secret anymore! Weupe has the same dark desires as a certain lion we all know from the movies..._

_Now, what do you think about this chapter, or the whole story so far? I really don't want to beg for reviews, but come on! Just give me something... It won't hurt, I promise!_


	18. Chapter 18

**Time passes **

Despite all their attempts Ushindi didn't tell anyone of his friends why they had to leave so sudden. Too great was the embarrassment, the shame that Weupe had turned the tables and played with him, manipulated him and nearly had succeeded in her plans. Every time he reflected that day, he was shocked about how close he had been to actually do as she had asked him to. If it hadn't been for Heba joining him in waiting for Askari, he'd probably given in and asked, or ordered him to aid him in making Raha and Karama… disappear.

With him not telling them the reason for leaving in such a way, the lionesses quickly came up with their own theories and explanations. They tried to hide it from him, but he didn't miss them whispering behind his back and the fact that Tekelea had developed the tendency to try to involve Askari in these talks made their secretiveness redundant anyway.

"Want to know what I think?", Shindana quietly said one day, while they were resting in the shadow of a monolith, surrounded by dry wasteland. "There is only one thing that can scare off a tail chaser like Ushindi."

"An angry father?", Chagina guessed. "But the king seemed to be quite fond of lover boy's relationship with his youngest."

"That's not what I meant, but with _father_ you've got the keyword." Shindana grinned at her friends. "I'm talking about cubs!"

"What? Cubs? But… how…?"

"Oh, my sweet innocent Heba", Tekelea giggled and leaned over Askari's back, who was fast asleep, or at least desperately trying to pretend so. "What do you think Ushindi and Weupe were doing when they snuck of to have some alone time. Play hide and seek?" She reached out to pet the younger lioness's head. After the girl had forgiven her what had happened with Jino, she had quickly recovered from feeling all guilty and now was just the mischievous lioness her friends loved and were annoyed of at the same time. "Hadn't you had the _special talk _already? Ha! Maybe you should ask Ruya to have one with you."

"Oh…", Heba said as she looked away from Teke, both embarrassed and somewhat disgusted at the same time. Now she knew what her friend was talking about.

"Well, you're right 'Dana, cubs and the responsibilities coming with them could scare off many tough guys, but don't think that's the case here. Not that it's impossible, things went very quick with the two, but if it really happened it takes more time than these few days to notice it, even for Weupe herself. And Teke…" She looked at her with a knowing smile. "Considering the way how you act around our battle beast here lately, maybe you're the one who could need a _special talk_ before things get out of hand."

Instantly Teke's face froze with an expression on it as if someone had stepped on her tail, while the others started to snort with laughter.

"Or maybe it's already too late for that", Ruya joined in, jumping at the chance to score their friend off for once. "Who knows how these two spend all the nights on their hunt for Jino?"

Tekelea's mouth opened and closed a few times before she found her voice again. "I… I… we… did not…", she struggled, but was interrupted quickly.

"Of course, we wouldn't blame you for snuggling up to a strong and warm chest!" Chagina winked at her. "Nights under the stars can be very romantic, but so cold…"

"No need to be shy about it, Teke. We're glad for you!"

"But it's not like th…" The usually so tough and mischievous lioness stopped, noticing that she still leaned over Askari, touching him with both one of her paws and her belly. Instantly she tried to move back… and accidentally touched one of his many wounds.

"Argh!" Nearly roaring, the lion, who really had been in a deep slumber woke up and arched his back. "What in all…" Confused and angered he stared at Teke, who leaped into the air like a scared cub and then at the other lionesses who busted into laughter. "What's so funny, huh?", he snarled at them and exhaled, visibly in pain. "Ouch!"

"We… we're s-so sorry, Askari! It's nothing. We didn't mean to…" Still giggling, Chagina wiped a tear out of her eyes. "Great kings, I'm crying!"

Anything but amused, Askari trotted away from them to find a more peaceful spot to sleep, muttering into his mane. It didn't look like he had noticed anything of their conversation and it was probably better this way.

* * *

It took a while, but slowly, things turned back to normal. The group continued its journey. Ushindi, Askari and their friends returned to their old habits. Lionesses came and went, although Ushindi now avoided those related to royalty, and Askari always asked his leader for permission before he challenged the rogues they encountered. The lionesses kept making up theories about Ushindi and Weupe and joking about Tekelea, but eventually both themes wore off. They met other prides, some friendlier than others and some more hostile towards a group of their size and the longer their journey continued, the more people seemed to know about them before their path actually crossed.

Like that, time passed. Seasons changed. And finally, more than a year after they had left their home, their way led them into a territory every lion knew the name of.

Standing on a hill at the border to this kingdom that was place of countless myths and legends, Ushindi and his friends gazed over the land laying before them and at the giant monolith that was far to be seen. The first and mightiest throne of lionhood. Pride Rock.

"Ever since I've first heard of them, I wanted to see the Pridelands", Ruya said, admiring the sight.

"Well, they're not as beautiful as in the tales", Shindana remarked. "But I have to admit, they're close to that."

"Definitively a place I could enjoy living in." Chagina sat down next to her friend and pointed at something in the distance. "See that giant water hole, not too far from Pride Rock? And it's not the only one. I bet even in a drought there is enough water close by that at least some smaller herds could stay while the others migrate. There must be prey all over the year in this kingdom!"

Opening her mouth to doubt Chagina's assumption, Tekelea also walked up to her friends, but was interrupted before she could even start talking.

"Well, that's right. Excellent observation, my dear, but first things first!" Some of the lionesses flinched, as a voice sounded from above. Looking up, the lions noticed a blue bird with a big orange beak flying towards them. In no time he reached them, landed on the ground and hopped towards Ushindi, whom he instantly seemed to recognize as their leader. "Correct me, if I'm wrong, but am I right in assuming, that you, sir, are Prince Ushindi, brother of King Omoa and leader of the group usually called _Ushindi's Rogues_ which I also assume this to be?" He spread his wing and gestured at the lions surrounding him.

"Uhm…" A little puzzled, said prince nodded. Although this was not the first kingdom to recognize them at arrival, he hadn't expected such a greeting. "Yes, that's true. And you are?"

"Oh, how rude of me! The name is Zazu, majordomo of the Pridelands and humble servant of his highness King Mufasa!" The hornbill bowed snappily. "We already expected your arrival. Now, if you'd do me the honor to follow me, sir? The king is already awaiting you!", he continued babbling at the confused Ushindi, but suddenly jumped, as he noticed the battle-scarred face of Askari, who silently had stepped next to his friend. "A… and maybe, you want to put your… friend here on a leash. The Pridelands are no place for brawls and other mindless acts of violence." With that he was back into the air. "Now, would you mind? I'll lead the way!"

A little worried, Ushindi looked at Askari, but his friend simply shrugged.

"Whatever", he said and nodded into the bird's direction. "After you, princess."

* * *

_AN: I hope you don't mind that we scip some of our lions' adverntures. If you want, feel free to come up with your own ideas about the lionesses Ushindi could meet in the meantime and the rogues Askari could fight. Would be interesting to see them, but keep in mind that they are very good in what they're doing. _

_Anyhow, look how far their journey has led Ushindi and his friends! They've reached the Pridelands and with that (without wanting to tell you too much) their journey gets a giant step closer to its destination! But don't worry, _the Rise of Ushindi_ has just begun...  
_

_Something else: I'm sorry to tell you, that most likely the pace of my uploads will fall quite a lot. I began to study this week and I really can't tell how often I'll have the time to write, but I'll do so as often as I can. Only death can stop me from writing! ;D_


	19. Chapter 19

**Into the Pridelands**

As the group reached Pride Rock, it was already late afternoon. The bird led them all the way up to the ledge that was formed by solid rock and looked like ages ago forces beyond their imagination had decided to carve a slice off the giant monolith. On their way up, they passed a group of lionesses resting in the sun and a few cubs playing between them. As they walked by, the cubs stopped their games and curiously looked at the newcomers, as did the lionesses, although some of them showed a quite concerned expression. Others however couldn't hide the interest with which they gazed at the two foreign males… a fact Ushindi didn't fail to notice. But at the moment he had other things to focus on.

Following Zazu, they approached a single lion with golden fur and a mighty red mane, who sat at the top of the ledge. There were no doubts, this was Mufasa, king of the Pridelands. While getting closer, Ushindi noticed his companions falling behind. It was obvious, that they expected him to do the talking, so he didn't hesitate and addressed the king.

"Your highness", he said and respectfully lowered his head.

Mufasa – who until now had gazed out into the distance – turned around, a kind but not exaggerated smile on his face. "Prince Ushindi." He nodded to greet his guest. "So finally, your way has led you into my kingdom. I was expecting this to happen since I've first heard of you and your friends. Tell me, what's your first expression?"

"Well, of all the places we've seen so far, it sure seems to be the wealthiest one", Ushindi honestly answered. "And it's huge. Judging by the time it took us to get here from the border, am I right to assume that everything you can see from up here is part of your kingdom?"

"Everything the light touches", the king proudly confirmed. "But believe me, it's a huge amount of work, although definitely worth it."

* * *

Patiently waiting a few steps behind Ushindi, Askari couldn't help but to search the area for signs of other males besides the king. He had counted at least six cubs of nearly the same age, a huge indicator for other lions. It was very unlikely that the king of the Pridelands himself had fathered all of them. He surely was no expert in such things, but he had never heard of a litter bigger than three cubs, and cases of twins or even triplets were exceptions already. On the other hand, he knew that ever since the Days of Darkness it was viewed as highly immoral for a lion and especially kings to have more than one official mate.

Sadly, his attempts were in vain. Kind of odd, as he thought. Yes, he knew first handed that it wasn't uncommon for male lions to leave their birthpride and that lionesses who didn't find a mate within their own pride often chose rogues as such, but still. He had expected a kingdom of this size and wealth to possess a guard, or at least some other males who supported the king. A fight with such a lion would have been a welcomed change after his last ones. It was a while since he had faced a worthy opponent. Not even the trio of leopards that had tried to steal a fresh kill from Tekelea a while ago had been a challenge for him.

He sighed, as he remembered the last time he hadn't been sure of his victory in a fight. Well, now that he thought about it… Even if there was a guard it would be unlikely Ushindi would allow him to challenge any of its members. Not after the Jino-incident. Actually, now with that though back in mind, he probably wouldn't even ask for it anymore.

"…is my friend Askari."

Ushindi's words brought him back to the here and now. It seemed his friend had finished his little chat with Mufasa and now proceeded to introduce his friends to the king. Quickly, Askari reacted and bowed before the golden lion. "Your majesty."

"A pleasure to meet you, Askari", the king and returned his greeting with a nod. "I've heard of you and your skill in combat. Is it true that you managed to defeat a member of a guard that went rogue?"

Startled by Mufasa's words, Askari looked up to him, but lowered his head again, before their eyes could meet. He swallowed heavily. "That's… true, sire", he then confessed.

"Remarkable. Judging by what I've heard, Puajino was an excellent fighter. I take it that these are his work?" He pointed at some of the nastier scars that by now covered Askari's body.

Slowly, the younger lion nodded. He wasn't sure how to handle the situation. It was obvious, the king knew about the incident and Askari nearly expected him to judge him for what he had done, although Mufasa's voice was still calm, without even a hint of hostility.

Sensing the other's tension, the Pridelands' regent gave him a warm smile. "I guess you'll be glad to hear, that Puajino's king has send word out to his allies that neither he nor his people bare any animosity against you or your friends. They know you only acted to defend one of your friends. All they ask for is to know how he died. For his parents' sake."

Finally, relieved by this news, Askari lifted his head with confidence. "I crushed his throat in battle. It was a quick death."

"It was a good fight?"

"He was the best I ever fought", Askari proudly replied. By now he was sure, that actually, this great lion – who judging by his looks and the fact, that he managed to protect a kingdom of this size and wealth all alone – was complimenting him.

"Still a shame you had to kill him", Mufasa said, then he gave his majordomo, the blue hornbill a sign. "Let Puajino's family know what this lion told us. May this knowledge ease their grief."

"Of course, sire!" Immediately the bird jumped into the air and flew off.

With Zazu gone, Mufasa thanked Askari for his honesty and Ushindi proceeded to introduce the other members of their group to him. Although, the king didn't spend as much time with each lioness as he had with the two males, he remained kind and welcoming. In the end, he even invited them all to share the prey his huntresses had caught for lunch. And who were Ushindi and his friends to reject such an offer?

* * *

It was getting late. Awaking from a nap, Askari yawned and blinked into the setting sun. Next to him lay the carcass of a water buffalo, an impressive catch that had served as their meal. All the lions, the Pridelanders as well as Askari and his friend had eaten from it, but still there was plenty of meat left. He turned away from the dead animal. There was no way he could eat even a single bite more, his stomach was as full as it hadn't been in weeks. Instead he gazed around in search of his companions. He found Ruya, Shauri and Heba halve way up Pride Rock, who were chatting with some older lionesses, who were grooming two cubs, a crème-colored and a golden one, the latter seemingly annoyed by his mother's attempt of cleaning him. Dana and Teke lay a bit further away on a stone, sleeping or at least resting. Chagina was the only one who was moving around, exploring the location. She was constantly followed by a dark brownish cub, an odd occurrence, as Askari thought. Usually she wasn't really the type of lioness who would befriend cubs, that was more Ruya's or Shauri's part.

His eyes moved down the giant rock structure and finally he spotted Ushindi heading right his way.

"What a day, huh?", his friend said and sat down next to him, as he arrived.

"Yeah", Askari simply replied and lay his head back on his front paws.

"For a moment I was afraid we'd get into trouble when the king mentioned Jino. At least I didn't expect him to be that friendly."

"Tell me about it!" Without lifting his head again, Askari looked up to the ledge, were Mufasa stood, gazing over his lands. "I have to admit, this may be the first lion I wouldn't want to fight."

"What?" Surprised, Ushindi eyes his friend from the side. These were some unexpected news. "How comes?"

"Think about it", his friend explained. "He's the only male around and has to take care of this giant kingdom all alone. He looks like he could drag a young rhino all alone and I haven't seen a single deep scar on him."

"Usually you laugh at lions without scars", Ushindi remembered.

"Yes. It means they're not used to fight or rather run than stand their ground. But if you had looked a little closer, you wouldn't have missed that indeed, this lion is scarred. He simply never received an injury that could leave a mark visible through his fur. I say, this king simply is too good to be seriously wounded in battle."

The sudden sound of someone snorting contemptuously made both of them turn their heads in surprise.

"Well, what do you say… My noble brother got himself a fanboy. Who would have thought?" Behind the two friends stood a slender lion with a reddish orange coat and a mane as dark as Askari's. His claws were unsheathed although his body language didn't give a hint of aggression, only signs of slight annoyance. Other than Mufasa, this one had a visible scar. "But you're right, or at least, kind of. Yes, none of the wounds he has ever received was worth talking about, but on the other hand, neither were most of his fights."

A little confused, Ushindi and Askari exchanged a glance. "Uhm… excuse me, but you are…"

"The king's brother, yes. Astonishing, isn't it? But where are my manners? I am Scar and you are? Guests of my brother, I suppose?"

* * *

_AN: Welcome to the Pridelands! Mufasa is very friendly towards these strangers, don't you think?_


	20. Chapter 20

**Scheming in the dark**

The conversation with Scar was short and not very informative. He seemed to dislike Askari's admiration towards his brother and the few words he lost about Mufasa were dripping of irony and sarcasm. It wasn't hard to tell, that he and the king – despite being related – were anything but good pals. After they ended their little talk, Scar teared a leg off the buffalo and strolled off.

"Charming guy", Askari commented, after the slender lion was gone. "He surely has no thing for his brother."

"Being a younger brother myself, I wouldn't judge him for that", Ushindi said. "Or he is like you and gets grumpy when he's hungry. Did you see how much meat he took?"

"Maybe he was afraid you wouldn't leave something for later", his friend mockingly guessed. "You're twice as heavy as he is."

"All muscles", Ushindi replied with a grin, making Askari chuckle. Then he lifted his eyes, noticing Shauri heading their way. One of the Pridelanders was with her.

As she reached them, Shauri introduced them to her companion, a lioness going by the name Sarafina, who was going to show them a cave where they could spend the night. Actually, they really grew tired by now, so they gladly accepted and followed the females to pick up the rest of their group.

* * *

The last daylight was long gone when a dark figure crossed the northern border of the Pridelands. It was the silhouette of a dark maned lion, quietly moving through the bone piles and glowing geysers. The bad smell and the occasional eruptions of the steaming holes in the ground left him unimpressed as he snuck from shadow to shadow, making his way towards one of the rugged canyons in which the elephant graveyard split up into. He could already hear them.

Banzai's voice reached his ear long before he could see him. "Ouch!", the hyena yowled seemingly in pain, followed by Ed's crazy laughter.

"Ups. Sorry."

Now he could see them. He had walked around a corner and was now climbing some natural steps in one of the rocky walls. While moving towards the edge of the slope in front of him, he watched Shenzi stepping away from the male with a somewhat sorry expression.

"Why do ya always touch me when I'm hurt?", Banzai growled, making Shenzi switching to furious in an instant.

"Hey! I said I'm sorry!", she snarled back. "Just wanted to see how bad he gotcha!"

"Very bad!", Banzai replied still angry, but intimidated. He winced, as he carefully licked one of the deep scratched on his hind legs. "Well, thanks for caring so much!"

"Oh, stop being so theatrical. That's Scar's job."

"I heard that." Finally, he decided to reveal his presence to his friends. "And please don't compare me to Banzai."

Although he had spoken in a calm, nearly uninterested tone, the two arguing hyenas flinched, while Ed instantly started to laugh at them.

"Oh, shut up Ed!", Shenzi snapped at him. She and Banzai had already recovered from the scare.

"Well, I'd never compare you to myself, Scar!", the male quickly said, trying to use the situation to rise in his favor. "You're way more theatrical than I am!"

Sighing, Scar lay a paw on his forehead while Banzai slowly got aware of his own stupidity.

"Oh…", the hyena said and looked down in shame. At the same time, Ed passed him and moved towards Scar, sniffing into the air. Noticing their friend's behavior, the other two hyenas gazed at Scar, surprised and thankful.

"You brought something?", Shenzi happily cheered.

"Well, I can't let Banzai getting himself killed in an attempt to steal food from our new friends, can I?" With a casual gesture Scar pushed the halve eaten buffalo leg he had carried all the way over the edge. "Ration it, I won't always be able to bring you this much." While still saying it, he already knew his words fell on deaf ears. The hyenas were already noisily munching on the meal.

"Oh, you're the best, Scar!", Shenzi praised him, her muzzle full of meat. "Haven't eaten for days! That bastard took our last kill from us, ya know?"

"Yeah! I hate this guy!", Banzai added between two bites.

"Oh, that feeling is mutual I assure you. As I can see, he already tested the sharpness of his claws on you and I bet he'd love to do the same with his teeth. He's more than eager to taste hyena blood." He saw the fearful looks Banzai and Shenzi exchanged and even Ed gulped. They knew how serious the situation was. This rogue – although being not fully grown yet – was a real threat, especially with the two brutes who accompanied him. These beasts were as dumb as they were strong and at least as cruel, but for some reason they listened to his every command.

"And you're still sure you can't help us to kick them out?", Shenzi carefully asked.

Scar wouldn't admit it, but even with the three hyenas he probably wouldn't be able to do that. Maybe, if the lions wouldn't know about his alliance with the trio, he could have lured them into a trap, but sadly the element of surprise had been taken from him. The young rogue had already seen him with his friends. "Yes", Scar said while he remembered that day. "I can't risk getting hurt and being asked about it by the pride. But…"

"That's exactly what you said the last time we were in trouble", Shenzi complained.

Instantly Banzai joined her. "Yeah, we had to deal with this psycho all alone! Wait…" Suddenly, he looked thoughtful. "We could use the yeena boiler!"

"Awesome idea", Shenzi growled rolling her eyes. "You'll play the bait. Oh, and good luck luring them one after the other into the same trap."

"Aw man… You're right." Banzai drooped his tail. "But I really wanted to try the boiler…"

"Don't be sad buddy", Shenzi tried to cheer him up and petted his shoulder. "You'll get your chance to send someone flying."

"As I was saying…" Scar raised his voice again, sounding a little upset about being interrupted with such a stupid idea and the hyenas listened up again. "I will not throw him out for you, but maybe that's not even necessary."

"Huh? Why not? It doesn't look like he's gonna leave on his own."

"He has all the motivation to leave. Sadly, he won't storm off into a battle he cannot win. He's too clever for that. But what if he was provided an unexpected opportunity, promising victory?" Scar grinned. While he had made his way through the Pridelands this plan had begun to form in his head and was now becoming clearer. With these rogues and his brother's guests, new pawns had appeared on the board. And if these pawns were too powerful or risky to take, maybe he could make them move on their own… probably even into a direction that benefited him. Yes. His grin became wider, as his plan grew further. If send on the right path, these unwanted additions to his game would soon remove themselves from his board again and in the best chase, would in time be replaced by other pawns. Pawns that would play _his_ game and not their own.

* * *

_AN: Chapter 20! A milestone I suppose._

_I know it is a short one again, but it marks the beginning of the next "phase" of the story if you want to call it like that._

_I wasn't sure how I wanted to set things in motion, but then I thought Scar would be perfect to set the hare running. Btw. Has anyone an idea who this rogue is they're talking about?_

_Current poll: Who's your favorite character so far?_


	21. Chapter 21

**Plans set in motion **

Ushindi and his friends settled in quickly. Of all the places they had visited, this definitely was the most welcoming one, even compared with the lions of the lone tree. After they woke up, Sarafina showed up again and invited the lionesses to join the hunt. When they returned, they all were permitted to hunt within the kingdom's borders, as long as they wouldn't take more than they needed and followed the rules concerning this topic. Later that day, when they were resting after another good meal, Scar came to them and asked to join Ushindi and Askari. He was politer than earlier and apologized for not even asking for their names at their first meeting.

"Askari, huh?", he said, after the dark lion introduced himself. "A powerful name. You can be proud of it. I have to admit I envy you a little. When I was young, I always wanted to be called like the first lion to ever lead a guard, but sadly, my parents had something else in mind."

As it turned out, Scar – unlike his brother – had not known who they were and listened with interest as Ushindi told him of their adventures. Later he revealed to them, that he himself had once been the leader of the Pridelands' guard and shared some of his own stories with them. Sadly, they learned, that by now he had retired and none of his former companions were around anymore. He also refused to tell Askari what lead to these circumstances. After asking Sarafina about it they got to know, that years ago one of the guard's missions had gone terribly wrong. Scar had returned as the only survivor and while some pitied him, others straight out blamed him for what had happened. All this was years in the past, but it still lingered over him like a dark shadow that kept others away from him and the other way around. After sharing these thoughts with them, she urged the two lions not to talk about that or ask further questions about it. It seemed to be a serious topic within the pride, so they agreed.

Time passed by and with the days, they grew closer to the king's brother. Soon he spent most evenings and afternoons with them talking.

* * *

The first phase of Scar's plan was simple. He had always been an expert in knowing people, so it didn't take long for him to find out what type of lions he was dealing with. Ushindi actually kind of reminded him of himself at an earlier age. Handsome and strong he was, but yet he relied more on his tongue than on claws and teeth… and he was good at it. In not time prince Ushindi was the main topic between the pride's younger lionesses. No wonder, with his looks, his charm and the fact that he was of royal blood. What the girls didn't notice, or at least, didn't want to notice, was that Ushindi was a desperate tail chaser. For Scar on the other hand, it was obvious. Maybe that was something he could work with, but there was something else too that would be useful. This lion was proud. Proud of his look, proud of his strength, proud of his royal descent and of being the leader of his little pride and the fact that its members accepted him as such. Using this pride would be no challenge at all. Still, this guy was a good actor, who knew what he was doing, so Scar would have to be careful. With Askari that was a different thing. The dark coated lion was strong, even stronger than his friend and for his age an experienced fighter with the scars to prove it. His youth and skill would surely make him a frightening foe, but if everything went right, he would be no problem at all. He wasn't a simple-minded henchman, but he stood loyal behind his friend and leader and would follow his word and command. Wherever Ushindi would go, Askari would follow and so would the others. The rest of the group, all lionesses, were as close to each other as a real pride and it was obvious who their _king_ would be. Still Scar noticed, that there were differences between them. Ruya, Shauri and Heba were more obedient and calmer than the other three. Shindana and Chagina were more hotheaded and Tekelea was no difference, but undoubtedly the troublemaker of the group. In addition, she seemed to be the only one who probably would side with Askari, if he'd ever rise up to Ushindi.

At the same time, his hyenas went to work. He trusted Shenzi that she wouldn't fail him and the upcoming rumors told him that she didn't. For some unknown reason – at least for everyone except Scar – It became dangerous for the inhabitants of the Pridelands to come close to the Outlands, the wasteland, that – according to Zazu and other birds spread between the Pridelands and some bordering kingdoms like the cracks in a rock. At the same time, the poaching that occasionally happened increased. More and more often the lionesses of the pride stumbled over fresh kills, kills obviously made by hyenas. And finally, after giving the growing tension among the lions some time to bild up and carefully feeding Ushindi's ego, he ordered his henchmen to finally escalade the situation.

* * *

She purred softly, as she rubbed her head against his after she rose from his side. He smiled and whished her good luck, before she walked over to the other huntresses, who awaited her. It would be Lisha's first hunt and she was nervous, but he had assured her she would do an amazing job. Ushindi had spent many days helping her with her training and today their efforts would pay of… for both of them. As she herself had told him, she had always had her own pace and was a bit slow with everything, making friends, getting closer to someone, learning to hunt… With the first two points he had already proven her wrong and now, thanks to some tips he had from Teke and Chagina, he had nearly done the same with the latter… and one more thing. He loosened his eyes from her hind side before anyone could notice his stare. Before the next morning would break, he would have done it once again. She was well prepared, surely wouldn't fail and with her excited and aroused by her first successful hunt, he would finally agree to celebrate the event with a little more than just cuddling. All he had to do now was to wait for her return. But it came different.

* * *

Same as the others, Scar patiently waited, only that he did it at his own place and not at the base of pride rock. Lisha was late. Noon had long passed and he started to worry that maybe, he hadn't been precise enough. No permanent damage, that were his orders. He bared no grudge against the girl and was nearly relieved, when she finally returned.

* * *

"She's back!", Ushindi shouted and together with some of her friends he went to greet her, but quickly noticed, that something was wrong. Sobbing, she limped towards them, her fur dirty and splattered with blood… her own blood. "Lisha!" Instantly he rushed to her side and she buried her head in his mane. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"H… h-hy…"

They were interrupted by her mother, who pushed Ushindi aside to get to her daughter. "Lisha! Baby, you're hurt! I told you to start with something easy!", she said and pulled her into an embrace. The girl winced, so her mother let go of her and caringly started looked after her wounds. "What happened? Were you kicked or…" She stopped and stared at one of her daughter's forelegs.

Ushindi had seen it too. "Bite marks. This was no hunting accident." With anger rising inside him he looked her in the eyes. "Who did this?"

Finally, the young lioness managed to stop the hiccupping and sobbing long enough to say the word. "Hyenas."

* * *

"He will do what?" Barely able to keep his voice in check, Ushindi marched up and down in front of Scar. The news he had just heard hadn't really improved his mood. Mufasa's reaction to the attack on one of his subjects wasn't exactly what he had expected.

"He will investigate", Scar repeated. His face was serious, but inside he wanted to smile. This was just the reaction he had hoped for.

"Investigating! For what? It is obvious! This… Gwaya or whatever her name was is to blame for this!"

"Siyogwaya", Scar corrected him and nodded. "But yes. We had always problems with her and her clan."

"And yet your brother isn't willing to demand amends from her? Not even contact her?"

"Not until he knows more about this, I fear."

"The only clan close enough to be involved is hers, what else does he need to know? Someone should go there and tell her to keep her ugly brood in check!"

"That's how I see it too, but he won't listen to me. He never did. As it seems, Mufasa is either too lazy or too scared to actually do something. It's just like the last time."

"Last time?", Askari, who had followed Ushindi to Scar's lair asked. "This has happened before?"

"Well, not exactly, but something similar", the older lion told them. "A while ago a young rogue came to us in search of refuge. He had fled from Siyogwaya's kingdom after his parents had been murdered there. By her hyenas."

Surprised, the two friends looked at him. "Murdered?", Ushindi asked. "So, this could have ended even worse?"

"Wait a second." Askari rose a paw, noticing something off. "If this guy came here for refuge, how comes we haven't already met or at least heard of him?"

Scar sighed. "Apparently the king decided to deny him what he was looking for. It seems, his request was too rude and his lust for revenge to big. But if you ask me that was no wonder after what the poor boy had been through."

"The more I learn about him the less I start to like Mufasa", Askari mumbled.

"Not that I'd blame you", Scar clarified. The disillusion in the dark lion's voice was music in his ears. "Well, if I have learned anything in all my years in this kingdom it is that if you want something to happen that doesn't concern my brother or his precious little family… you have to do it yourself!"

* * *

_AN: Not exactly how Ushindi expected this day to end. Now he's seriously pissed. Exactly what Scar aimed for..._

_Sorry it took me this long, but it seems like it took Scar way less time to think of his plan than it took me._


	22. Chapter 22

**Aggressive investigation**

"Are you gonna ask for permission?"

Night had already fallen. Lisha was getting treated by her mother and the other lionesses of her pride, so he had returned to his friend's lair and told them what he had planned for the next day. And of course, Ruya had something to complain about. A joyless snort escaped Ushindi's lips about her question. "What for?"

"We are Mufasa's guests and should not intervene without asking for his approval", she answered. "Lisha belongs to _his_ pride, so the attack on her is his concern, not ours."

"You forget that she also is _my _girlfriend, so it IS my concern as well!", Ushindi growled.

"If you want to call it that…", the lioness muttered, but lowered her head and took a step backwards under his angry glare. It was rare that he got in a mood like this and she was clever enough not to provoke him now, yet still one could see her mind working on a plan to stop him.

"Mufasa may be too frightened by these stupid poachers, but I surely am not!", Ushindi declared loud enough for everyone around to hear. "I will do as I said. Tomorrow I'll cross the Outlands, find this so-called _queen_ Gwaya and then tell her to find and punish those responsible for the attack! Or else I will!"

Ruya sighed. "Fine then. But… at least let me go with you."

This came as a surprise. Not only to Ushindi, but to everyone in the cave. She was the last one Askari would have expected to join such a plan. "That's what I just wanted to offer", he said and raised an eyebrow. "Usually you're not the one who's fond of the dirty work."

"And that exactly is the point", the lioness responded. "There won't be any _dirty _work and that you instantly thought about that is the exact reason why _I_ should go with him, and you should stay here."

"What is she talking about?" Now also getting angry, Askari turned to his friend. "Of course, I'll go with you."

"No, you won't, because _she_ is not in the mood for another disaster triggered by your temper and stupid ideas", Ruya hissed at him. "Either I'll go with him and you stay, or no one will go at all."

For a moment it went quiet, as the three lions stared at each other. The tension in the cave was nearly palpable as the others watched them. Then finally, Ushindi gave in. "Fine."

* * *

When the next morning came Ushindi snuck into the pridelanders' den to visit Lisha before he ventured out. Without waking the others, the prince snuck to the place where she lay between her mother and an older sister and gently licked her cheek. Halve asleep, she opened her heavy eyes and looked up to him. He wasn't sure if she really understood the words he whispered to her ears, his promises to find those responsible for the attack, but he didn't wait for a respond. If anyone else would notice him, they'd most likely try to stop him, so he quickly left the cave again and returned to Ruya, who awaited him at the entrance.

* * *

The only lion who saw them on their way out of the Pridelands was Scar, but he didn't ask any questions, only raised an eyebrow at them as they passed. Ushindi didn't care what he thought, as long as he wouldn't try to stop them.

Of course, it happened in the middle of his break. It always did. Sighing, Guma looked up as the shadow went over him a third time. High above, Fupa was circling him in a downward spiral until the vulture landed right in front of his paws.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I have some news you might want to hear."

"You're not interrupting anything", he replied looking at Siyo, who lay in the shadow of the great baobab tree. "She already slept when I came here and I didn't want to wake her."

"Heh! If I were you, I wouldn't do that either. She's been moody for quite a while now. And everyone knows why-hy!" The bird nearly sang the last word, grinning and poking Guma's ribs with a wing.

"Oh, quit it", the hyena growled. "Just tell me what you came for."

Fupa chuckled but got serious only a second later. "As you wish. It appears, that two rogue lions have just passed our border. Coming from the outlands they've done so without being noticed or intercepted by your hyenas and are heading right our way."

Growling, Guma rose to his feet. "Urgh, Chanzi, that dumbass! That's the last time I gave him command over that border! Find him and tell him we're having a talk at the end of his shift! I'll go meet these rogues. For his sakes, let's hope it's nothing serious this time!"

The vulture nodded and with a few flaps was back in the air, while Guma made his way through the hyenas' lair. "Chadi, Chege. With me!", he said, as he passed his companions, who were dozing in the sun, side by side with two of the uglies females he had ever seen. "Nap time is over!"

Hearing his voice, the four opened their eyes. Chege and Chadi jumped up immediately, eager to follow him. "Sir, yes Sir!", they barked as one, then Chege turned to the females, giving them a toothy grin. "Excuse us, ladies. Duty is calling! See you around!"

"What is it, Sir?", Chadi wanted to know as they moved out.

Sir. Ever since Siyo had appointed him _leader of the guard_, they addressed him like that. The brothers and all the other male hyenas. For some it was out of respect, for others nothing but a formality or a way to conceal their envy. Not that any of them could fool him. He knew exactly whom he could trust and who longed to take his place. But by now that would be nearly impossible thanks to the unexpected news, the queen had announced a few weeks ago…

"Rogues", he answered the question. "I told Chanzi to be watchful after the last incidence, but he failed again!" He felt anger and tension rising within him, thinking of that day. Two rogues had strolled into the kingdom, poaching and hunting as they liked. He had nearly lost two of his guards to them before he'd been able to get rid of them. Since then he had grown more careful, had ordered strict border control and monitoring of every rogue that entered or passed the kingdom. He took his duties very serious, especial now that he had more than just a kingdom and clan to protect…

* * *

They got further than Ushindi had expected before they were approached by someone. The great baobab tree standing on a flat but rocky hill that served as the kingdom's throne was already in sight as the two lions noticed three hyenas coming right their way. They slowed down and finally stopped walking when they met them.

The hyena in the middle was the first to talk. It was a male and obviously the leader of this group. "Greetings", he said formally while his companions took some more steps to the sides, and by that formed a halve circle around the lions. "As the leader of the guard I have to inform you, that you have entered hyena territory and are now standing on queen Siyogwaya's land. By that you are bound by her laws. If you stick to our rules you have nothing to fear, but if you cause any trouble, you'll have to face the consequences. You have been warned. Would you now please be so kind to tell me who you are and what it is you hope to find here?"

With rising anger, Ushindi stared at the hyena. This guy seriously had the nerves to tell _him_ how to behave after what _his_ congeners had done? He opened his mouth to reply, but his companion was quicker.

"My name is Ruya", the lioness quickly introduced herself, following the hyena's demand. "And this is prince Ushindi." With a movement of her head she gestured at him and their eyes met. It was only for a second, but the lion couldn't fail to notice the message in her gaze. _Too soon! Stay calm, I got this!_ He managed to swallow the growl that was building up in his throat and held back a tooth baring as she continued. "We came to consult your queen Siyogwaya regarding an occurrence that took place in the Pridelands yesterday."

"Well, I have never heard of a prince Ushindi from the Pridelands. As far as I know king Mufasa's son is only but a cub and neither do I know why any occurrences on his land should affect us. Our kingdoms agreed long ago to stay out of each other's affairs."

"It does affect you if some of your queen's subjects are involved!" He had tried. He really had, but with every word of this stupid _leader of the guard_ was driving him more furious, Ushindi couldn't keep his mouth shut anymore. "And I'm not Mufasa's son. We're not part of his pride."

"Please!" Ruya shoved herself in front of Ushindi, trying to prevent whatever the angry male could do next. "I know, it may sound weird that some rogues are trying to solve a problem between two kingdoms they don't belong to, but wouldn't you intervene and help if someone you hold dear gets attacked and hurt?"

* * *

When not long after, Ruya and Ushindi were standing in front of the queen in the shadow of the enormous baobab explaining the situation, she wasn't sure if it had been a good thing that she had managed to convince the guardian to allow them to actually come here. Guma – the guardian – stood vigilantly next to the queen who lay on a comfortable bed out of leaves and thin twigs. Siyogwaya was an impressive hyena, strong and it wasn't hard to tell she had no problem to fend for herself, but that wasn't what worried Ruya. It was her visibly rounded belly. The queen had been asleep when they had approached her and the disapproving look she had given them reminded her of her own mother all those years ago, not long before Shauri had been born. Sometimes she had been unpredictable, switching from super caring to frighteningly angry within seconds. In addition to that, Ushindi's temper was everything but helpful. He didn't actually say anything inappropriate but his tone of voice and body language were betraying him.

When they finished their narrative of the events, the queen grimaced and looked at Guma. "Do you know about anyone who passed that border yesterday?", she asked him.

The guardian shook his head. "No, my queen. But if you want me to do that, I'll double check on it. I have to talk to Chanzi anyway."

"Do that, but just to be sure", she ordered him and then turned to the lions. "To get this straight. I highly doubt that any of my subjects had something to do with what happened to your friend. There is enough prey on our own lands, so there is no need for anyone here to poach in another kingdom and neither do I see any reasons why some of us should go there and attack random lionesses. For the unlikely case that there really has been someone passing the border yesterday, we'll investigate and send a messenger to inform Mufasa about what we found out, that's all I can do for you. Thank you for sharing your suspicion. You may leave now."

For a moment, Ushindi simply stood there, trying to digest what he just heard. "We… may what?"

"Leave now", Siyogwaya repeated. "As I said. If there is any prove of what you suspect, we'll find out and tell you. There is no need for you to stay here until that happens. Don't you think you'd be more needed by your friend's side or looking for clues on the actual place of the events?"

"I already did that and it told me that hyenas are guilty of this crime. And now, you, the so-called queen of said hyenas, are telling me that you MAYBE will investigate? I'll tell you what I think. I spit on your_ maybe_! I want those responsible for the crime and I will get them, one way or another!", Ushindi growled and angrily stepped forward, ignoring Ruya's attempt to hold him back.

Within an instant, Guma and two other hyenas jumped forward, placing themselves between the queen and the potential threat, their teeth bared and snarling, while she herself jumped up.

"Leave him be! For now!", she ordered her guards and then aimed her deadly gaze at the Ushindi. "I have been patient with you, rogue! I listened to your accusation that is only based on the fact that we and your friend's attackers happen to be of the same species, what one could easily mistake for an insult in itself! I was willing to help you as far as I could, but now you crossed the line! As I said, you will leave now, or else you will regret it!"

* * *

_AN: Wow, I didn't thought I'd manage finish this chapter this weekend, but here I am. It is also a bit longer than I expected even though I decided to put some of its plot into the next chapter._

_Anyway, here we have our lions and hyenas finally meeting each other. And tensions are high! Our usually so eloquent Ushindi is really cought in his anger and Siyo, well... I guess ther'd be better days to mess with her._

_Current poll: Favorite character so far?_


	23. Chapter 23

**Escalation**

"Ushindi, stop right there!"

Although he kept walking, he answered her call by slowing down a little and turning his head to her. They had nearly passed all the way back to the kingdom's border since the queen had thrown them out. Enraged, Ushindi had stormed off, giving Ruya a hard time to catch up with him. "What?", he hissed.

The lioness came closer. She had always thought of Askari being the more ill-tempered one of the two males, but now she wasn't sure of that anymore. Still, she saw it as her duty to at least try to get some sense back into this hothead and felt the desperate need to lecture him for his stupidity. "Would you please be so kind to tell me what in all the great kings' names that outburst was about?"

"Are you serious?", he growled back at her. "You were there too. That fat bitch gave us nothing. No, she even threatened us!"

"The queen listened to everything we told her AND ordered her guard to investigate, despite the way you presented us! Seriously, what were you expecting? That she would immediately point out Lisha's attackers and offer them to you as a gift? Actually, we got more from her than we could have expected or at least until you ruined it! With all your flaws, I've always seen you as a capable leader who is usually GOOD with words but now, I have to watch you turning into an unreasonable asshole just because you missed your opportunity to mount…" She stopped, a little surprised and shocked about the directness of her own words Then she noticed that Ushindi wasn't moving anymore. He just stood there and looked at her.

"Are you done?" The lion's face was a mask made of stubborn indifference. "Good", he added after she didn't reply immediately and continued walking.

"I… no, I wasn't… Ushindi wait!"

He stopped again, this time without turning around.

"We should at least go back and apologize for your behavior."

Ushindi snorted in faked amusement. "Is this supposed to be a joke?"

"Do you hear me laughing?"

"Leave or regret it, remember?"

"I'm sure she just said that because you nearly jumped at her. We have to, we cannot leave like this."

"You think so? Then watch me…"

* * *

"Stop that, you idiot!", the female snarled at one of her companions. "It will all come off!"

"But it's itching!", he complained and once more scratched his neck with a hindleg. "Why do we have to wear this? Whose stupid idea was that?"

"Mine!", she snapped, closing her jaws only right Infront of his nose. "And you'll keep it on as long as you can't provide a better way to make us look like them!" She pointed into the vague direction of the great baobab tree. "Why can't you just go along with it like Ed? He seems to like it."

As to prove her words, the said hyena flopped to the ground where he started to joyfully roll around in the dirt, covering his wet fur with even more brown dust.

Banzai flinched in surprise, as Shenzi stepped beside him and gave him a watery lick at his neck. Startled and slightly embarrassed he looked at her. "Wh… uh, er… w-what was that for?", he stammered.

"Don't get any ideas, stupid!", the female growled and stared into his blushed face. Then without a warning she tackled him to the ground. "Now roll and don't dare to get up before that spot is covered again!"

Frightened by her anger, Banzai did as he was told, while Ed giggled insanely. Then suddenly, something else got the retarded male's attention and his voice changed into something that sounded like a faked hiccup.

Shenzi's eyes turned into the direction he pointed with his snout. "Hey! Quiet, both of you!", she ordered. "There they are."

In silence the trio watched a pair of lions passing by in the distance. They seemed to argue and stopped from time to time, until finally, the female turned around and headed back the way they came from while the male continued into the other direction.

"Guess we ain't gonna get a better chance", Shenzi declared, fixing her eyes on their target.

As quick as he could, Banzai jumped up and was by her side. "The girl?"

"Of course, or do ya think I'd try on a grown lion with no one but you two wimps as backup?"

"Was just asking", he replied, but the female was already moving out of their cover, so he hurried to follow her.

"Enough asking", she said, a hint of hunger in her voice. "You know the plan. Let's finish this!"

* * *

The attack had been quick and brutal. When they had first approached, Ruya hadn't noticed the hyenas' expression. She had called out for them, trying to explain her return, but then…

"_For the queen!"_ Their shouts still echoed in her mind, as she ran through the savannah, crying for help. Tears both of pain and shock ran down her face. She didn't understand. She had been warned, yes and she hadn't expected to be greeted kindly after how Ushindi had insulted Siyogwaya, but this?

The nearly insane giggling behind her grew louder. She wasn't sure how she had managed to escape them. She remembered a well-placed strike of hers to the head of the slobbering one, but despite the strength her panic had unleashed, the hyena had jumped up again, simply looking a little dizzy. Then he had been at her again, laughing like crazy.

Suddenly, she saw them. Two large rocks, surrounded by a few acacias. Behind them lay the dry wasteland of the outlands. She had reached the border! Spurred by the sight, she hurried up. They wouldn't follow her out of their territory, she told herself. If they really wanted to kill her, they already would have done so. They only wanted to make her _regret it_, just as the queen had threatened. Beating her up and chasing her out, that was it.

She had already passed the first tree, when she noticed something was different than when she and Ushindi had come through this place in the morning. There had been no guards in sight, but now… Through her tear-dimmed eyes she saw blurred figures laying in the shadows of the rock… spotted figures with brown coats. Hyenas. Some of them had already noticed her and jumped up, seemingly unsure what to do.

They wanted her out of their kingdom. Yes. Maybe they would shout and snap at her, but they would let her pass, she thought.

And then, her hopes where shattered with a call from behind. It was the female, the leader of the group that pursued her. "She tried to murder the queen! Stop her! Kill her!"

"What the…" One of the hyenas in front of her fixed his eyes on her. "Get her! Take her down!"

"NO, PLEASE!", Ruya screamed as the hyenas met her. She never saw her pursuers quietly sneaking off into the outlands. Instead she saw the gaping jaws of the guards and felt the burning pain of their teeth tearing at her skin and flesh. She heard their growling, their giggling and her own voice crying for help and begging for mercy and suddenly a furious roar. Then, the world became dark and silent around her and she lost consciousness.

* * *

Askari wasn't sure what news he had expected to hear when his friends would return, but most certainly not this. Some of the others, especially Shauri had thought, with Ruya accompanying him Ushindi would manage to solve the situation without running into too much trouble, but now… He had been the first to notice them, as they returned and had immediately sent Teke – who had followed him on a walk along the border – to get help.

From the distance, it had looked like Ushindi was alone. Only when he had gotten closer, Askari had seen Ruya laying on his back. At that point, he had sensed something was wrong, told Teke to assemble the others and ran to help his friends. Now, as he reached them, he was shocked by the sight. Ushindi was covered in blood, his own and that of others. His mane was torn and tousled and he was limping both from wounds and due to Ruya's weight. The lioness looked even worse. Her body was covered with bleeding wounds. Her eyes were closed and she didn't move at all except for her legs and tail dangling with the rhythm of Ushindi's unsteady steps.

Immediately, Askari stepped beside his friend and pulled Ruya over onto his own back, releasing him from his burden, while Ushindi urged him not to wait for him and carry her to the shaman as fast as he could. There was no need to tell him twice. He knew where to find the old monkey thanks to some conversations with the Pridelanders, so he waisted no time. "Hang in there!", he gasped, as he raced through the savannah, unwilling to believe that maybe it could already be too late for her…

* * *

_AN: Well, thanks to some help from Shenzi and her gang this already tense situation escalated, but Ushindi provided her with the perfect base for her plan... and Ruya payed the price..._


	24. Chapter 24

**Preparations**

The atmosphere was more than just tense when Scar entered the rogues' temporary lair. In the voices and body language of the gathered lions he read all sorts of emotions. Fear, anger, outrage, confusion. In silence he admitted, that he wasn't totally sure how he himself felt about the situation. All of this was part of his plan and it felt great to see that it worked out just the way he had predicted it, yet still, there was this… hint of pity somewhere deep in his mind. It wasn't much but enough to wake thoughts of remorse. Ruya had looked even worse than Lisha when Askari had carried her to Rafiki and only the great kings knew if she would survive. Maybe she was already dead by now. Quickly, he shook of the thought. Why did he even care? Why should he care? He hadn't done it himself, not directly at least and it had been a necessary step on his path to success. And now he had to make sure the next one would be taken.

In the middle of the cave, Ushindi stood, still covered in dirt and congealed blood, the face a mask out of fury. His tone of voice and especially the way he spoke of Mufasa was music in Scar's ears.

"Please!" One of the lionesses stepped forward. Tears were forming in her eyes and she looked close to a panic. "W-we have to obey him, or else… if… if we anger him anymore, he might tell his shaman not to save…"

"When I left him, the monkey was already doing his best and he won't stop. Not even at the king's command", Askari, the dark lion growled. "I made sure of that. And Mufasa would regret it…"

"You threatened him?", the girl nearly screamed. "Oh, great kings…"

"Calm down, Shauri!", Ushindi grunted, sounding everything but calm himself. "After he was done blaming me, this poor excuse of a king promised that no harm would come to her. Something about honor and responsibility he had thought I would possess too…" He spat. "He's a fine one to talk! He only sat around doing nothing while two lionesses were attacked by hyenas with the clear intention to kill and now, he dares to call me a fool for actually trying to solve the issue!"

"Guys!" It was Chagina who tried to get the other's attention. "Shouting and cursing will get us nowhere! We have to plan our next steps!"

"She's right, Ushindi", Askari said. "They tried to kill one of us. We can't just let them get away with that! They have to bleed for it!"

"Some already did and the others will follow…" While Askari nodded and growled in approval, Ushindi finally noticed Scar standing in the cave's entrance. "You. Did your brother send you to keep an eye on us? To stop us from taking revenge?"

Slowly, Scar began to move. "You couldn't be more wrong", he calmly explained while walking towards the prince. "Actually, I came to do the exact opposite." With a dead serious face, he stopped right in front of him. "It has already begun. Your friend got mauled by the hyenas. Trying to save her, you shed their blood. No doubt they will call for revenge just like you do now. The question is not _if_, but _when_ they will move. If I may give you an advice." He looked around into the faces of the lions around him. "Do not waste your time. Prepare yourself… and strike first!"

"You mean… we should attack them?" It was Tekelea who spoke after a short moment of silence.

"Precisely." Scar gave her a grin, then he looked back at Ushindi. "If you're out for vengeance it is the matriarch, the queen herself you want. The one who gave the order to kill. The others were just following her commands. I guess you could compare your current situation with the one with this rogue guardian you told me about. If you wouldn't have finished that, he'd still be after you. Always waiting for an opportunity to strike. A constant threat. This is quite similar, only on a larger scale."

Ushindi nodded slowly. Scar could nearly see his mind working. Despite the anger now there was something else in his expression. Hesitation. "Right. It _is_ a similar situation. But not entirely. Back then, it was Jino against Askari. It was an equal match. Now it's us all against a whole hyena clan. A really big hyena clan. I hardly managed to get Ruya out of the ambush today and although I'm quite sure some of the hyenas there won't attack anyone ever again… it was only an outpost at the border. The whole clan… they are five times more, maybe even ten! I hate to admit it, but we're not enough to face such numbers."

Understandingly, Scar nodded. "Well, I could tell you a trick or two to make up for that, numbers are not everything, you know? But if that's what concerns you the most, I guess I'm able to help you with that too."

* * *

The evening sun that hung low on the horizon covered the scenery in a reddish light. The smell of blood was in the air and the weeping of the wounded mixed with the crickets chirping that could usually be heard at this time of the day.

Deep scratches could be seen on the unmoving hyena's skin, the coat was soaked in blood. A fly sat on one of his open eyes and quickly flew off as a shadow fell on it. Judging by the wounds it was the blood loss that had killed him. The words Guma had concocted to scold him vanished from his mind, as he placed a paw on Chanzi's face to close his eyes. With him they counted four dead. He lifted his head, as Chege approached him. "And?"

"All three survivors are wounded, one badly", Chege reported. "And one is missing. Ran off when the lion charged at them."

"They all tell the same story?", Guma asked.

"Yeah, but… it makes no sense, right?"

"It doesn't." Guma nodded. Chege wasn't exactly the cleverest hyena around, but even he had brain to noticed something was off with the story the wounded guardians told. He stepped away from Chanzi and walked over to the three survivors. "This female, the one who chased the lioness, can you describe her?"

"She… she just looked like one of us", one of them replied and looked at him in fear. "Brown fur and all, but I only saw her from afar."

"She stayed out of the fight when you attacked?"

"Yes… I mean… I think so. She was gone when the lion appeared."

"Did you recognize her? Her voice maybe?"

"N-no", he stammered. Since he had been told that there had never been an attempt on the queen's life, he seemed to be close to a panic and so where the other two. "But, please understand! She was a female, so we just… how should we have known…"

Sighing, Guma sat down. He could understand and even relate with this poor fella. He and his comrades had simply acted the way it was expected of common males. From early on they had learned to trust and follow the words of the clan's females without asking questions. He couldn't blame them for their actions, yet still the consequences were terrible. "Go", he said and nodded at the one who was hurt the worst. "Help him to our lair and get your wounds treated."

"Yes, sir." The relief in the hyena's voice couldn't be overheard. "Thank you, sir."

"What now?", Chadi asked, as he, Guma and his brother watched the three limping away.

"You two deal with our dead. I'll report to the queen and find someone to replace this guard. We'll try to send a message to these lions and to the Pridelands to tell them all this was a horrible misunderstanding. And we'll double the guards. I'm afraid this Ushindi won't listen to reason. This will get even uglier than it already is…"

The cry of a vulture sounded and made him look up. Fupa was circling above him. "Guma! I know this is important, but you have to follow me! Now, and quick!"

"More bad news?", he asked.

"It depends", the bird replied. "Siyo is in labor."

* * *

It was already getting dark when the lions arrived at the elephant graveyard. After Scar had left them, they had continued to discuss their next move and decided that they should follow his advice. Before risking another attempt on one of their friends' lives, Ushindi and Askari would take the fight to the hyenas. Tekelea had instantly offered to join them – probably to impress Askari, as Ushindi guessed – and Chagina and Shindana had followed her example, eager to deliver justice to their friend's tormentors. Although there were some examples from history and legends it wasn't exactly considered as common for lionesses to be warriors, but the three insisted they would feel weak and useless if they weren't allowed to aid the two males. Besides, Chagina argued, that ancient rule would only apply to fights lion versus lion, where the males' strength and body mass usually made them superior to females, what wouldn't be the case in a confrontation with the hyenas. Both Ushindi and Askari saw the reason behind the girls' arguments. In fact, they approved their offer. The more fighters their group counted, the better, so the decision was quickly made. Only Shauri and Heba would stay in the Pridelands while the others ventured out on their quest, the first because she didn't want to leave her wounded halve-sister, afraid she could find her dead when she returned and the latter because the others considered her too young to join the upcoming confrontations. No one was surprised when she agreed without any complains, gentle and easily to be scared as she was.

Like that it was five of them, against a whole hyena clan counting at least ten times more members. According to a vague calculation Scar had offered them it was relatively save for a grown lion to hold his ground against up to three adult hyenas at once, maybe even four in Askari's case, for a lioness around two. Intimidation and group coordination would increase those numbers, but still Ushindi wasn't satisfied with their current strength. He was very aware of the dangers that lay on the path he had chosen and wouldn't waste an opportunity to raise their chances and prepare as good as possible before he would strike, so he followed one more of Scar's advises. None of his followers said something against it, they knew they needed all the additional jaws and claws they could get. And with a possible ally this close by it was definitely worth the try.

In watchful silence they walked through the piles of bones and smoldering wholes, searching for a sign of those they hoped to find. The stench of whatever burned beneath the ground made it impossible to rely on scent, and the smoke and the countless possible hiding places made the area perfect for an ambush. Suddenly, somewhere on their right they heard a growl that made the lionesses flinch. Askari on the other hand remained calm and squinted in search for the sound's origin.

Between two large rocks a true giant of a lion emerged and slowly moved towards them. With his dark brown fur and the black mane, he blended in perfectly with the smoke and the scorched stones of the canyon. His fangs were bared and he crouched down a little, as he stopped in pouncing distance, ready to strike. Something cracked and all eyes went to the other side. From the left another lion had approached them. He wasn't as big as the first one, but comparable with Ushindi's height.

Askari steadied himself. Although he knew it wasn't the purpose of their visit, he felt excitement for the possible fight rushing through his body. The left one was closer. He would aim for him first and let the others hold off the right one while he finished him. It was as if he could already taste the blood on his tongue…

He looked up, away from his target, as a third voice sounded from a sharp-edged ledge. "You must be either brave or stupid to come here. Surrender now and maybe I'll tell my friends to go easy on you!"

* * *

_AN: Ok, to be honest: I hate this one's headline but I simply couldn't think of something better! I'm open for suggestions for a better title._

_Anyways, finally another chapter! Woohoo!_


	25. Chapter 25

**Playing with fire**

Askari snorted in amusement as his eyes found the origin of the voice. "Well, that's one confident cub", he said to Ushindi. "I'll take the left one, you and the girls can have fluffy over there. Won't take too long and when we're done, we'll teach that squirt a word or two about bravery!"

Calmly, Ushindi placed a paw on his friend's chest to hold him back. "Let me talk to him first", he said with a low voice. "But if he keeps asking for it… And you take the big guy. Teke, think you girls can handle the other one?"

"Yup", the lioness replied confidently while Shindana and Chagina nodded in agreement.

"If you ask this kindly", Ushindi said loudly and stepped forward, looking up to the young lion. He wasn't exactly a cub anymore, his fiery red mane already extended all the way down his neck, ending between the shoulder blades and had begun to grow thicker. He was still far from Ushindi's or Askari's height but large enough to compete with one of the lionesses.

"Probably you've already heard of us", Ushindi continued. "My name is Ushindi. Maybe you know me as the rogue prince. These are my companions. And I've come to ask for your fealty."

The younger lion raised an eyebrow, looking anything but impressed. "Never heard that name before and everyone can introduce himself with a fancy title, so forgive me that I won't bow and knuckle under to you only because you call yourself a prince. And what in all the ancients' names makes you think you have the right to claim my fealty?"

"Oh, I wouldn't call it a claim", Ushindi responded. "Consider it a deal, beneficial for both of us."

"You hear that?" The young lion grinned at his two henchmen. "It's a deal he wants. I guess if royalty comes all the way to seek for our fealty it's worth quite something. Tell me, Ushindi, what is it you intend to you offer us for it… and your lives? Something that has to do with these lovely ladies you brought, by any chance?"

From behind, Ushindi heard a three-voiced growl, low and threatening. He shrugged, as if it was nothing. "I'm afraid that is not up to debate", he replied. "But how about something like… justice for your parents, Moto?"

Within an instant the red maned lion's superior grin vanished. Within the glimpse of an eye he noticed his mistake but neither was he quick enough to hide it nor did he manage to recover his facial expression that now looked more like a grimace. "How… Who told you? Mufasa? One of his lionesses? What kind of game are you playing?"

"The bloody kind. The hyenas ambushed my girl and mauled one of us when we tried to talk to the matriarch. We have the same enemy. So, that is my offer. Join us and together, we will claim the revenge we deserve. The revenge your parents des…"

"Shut up about my parents!", Moto shouted enraged. "Who do you think you are, telling me what they deserve or not? And curse you for tempting me with a revenge I cannot have! Fasiki, Singa! I have enough of this wannabe prince! Silence him and…"

A small nod sideways of Ushindi was all it took. Whatever the furious youngster was about to say, the words were drowned out by Askari's roar, as he got ahead of Moto's henchmen and charged. Before his target could react, he was on him, met him with full force and smashed his head against the large rock behind him. Dazed by the impact, the bigger lion staggered backwards unable to avoid or counter the following attacks. Two heavy blows later, Askari's opponent went down.

On the other side, the other lion launched forward. "Singa!", he called out in disbelieve, intending to continue his fallen comrade's fight. Too late he noticed, that in doing so he had turned his back on the three lionesses.

With the accuracy of a skilled huntress, Chagina pounced. As soon as her claws dug into her target's skin, she shifted her mass center sideways, throwing Fasiki off balance and carrying him off his feet. Within a heartbeat Tekelea was there to aid her and added her bodyweight to hers to hold their prey down, while Shindana rushed in to close jaws around the struggling male's neck.

* * *

Moto gasped as he saw his friends going down. He'd never expected the lionesses to enter the fight and the speed in which they and the black lion dealt with their opponents took him off guard. This was the exact opposite of what was supposed to happen. His eyes met with Ushindi's, who hadn't moved at all and looked back at him with a grin on his face he himself had carried only moments ago what only added up to his rage. Every nerve of his body screamed to him to shred this mocking face into pieces and before he could truly think about his actions, he found himself leaping down from his ledge, reaching out with his claws to dig into it. The next thing he felt was a stinging pain on one of his hind legs and the dizziness that came with being forcefully pulled off course midair. Then he crashed into a wall. Stumbling back on his feet, he found himself caught between the rocks of the ledge he had jumped down from and the black green-eyed beast cutting him off any possibilities to retreat. Fear and the undeniable realization of defeat crept into his mind, as the other lion slowly moved towards him, a nearly mad hunger on his face. Behind him, Moto could see his friends. Fasiki was held down by the lionesses with a pair of sharp teeth at his throat, while Singa still lay unmoving. Against his will, his instincts kicked in and he lowered himself into a more submissive pose, as Ushindi finally left his spot and moved beside his dark furred companion.

"Good", the rogue prince said, noticing the change in Moto's body language. "Back to my offer. What do you think? Your fealty in exchange for the promise for revenge… and your lives?"

His wounded ego nearly caused him physical pain as Moto nodded. He was clever enough to notice there was no other way to get out of this alive. Additionally, another thought entered his mind. He had vastly underestimated these guys. Now after he had seen the fighting strength of them… Maybe Ushindi's offer wasn't as hilarious as it had sounded to him in the first place.

"I want you to say it out loud", the rogue prince demanded. "Do you surrender yourself and your companions to me and agree to follow us under my lead?"

Quickly, Moto glanced at his friends. The pleading look Fasiki gave him was enough to tell that he was more than willing to accept any of these terms if it meant he would be allowed to keep his windpipe intact. Singa was still unconscious, but knowing him he wouldn't be of any help if it were otherwise. He'd just do whatever Moto would tell him. So, he looked back to Ushindi and made his decision: "I do."

"You vow that you'll obey my commands and accept me as your prince? Be it by right of combat if you still don't believe in my lineage."

Moto fought the urge to grimace. He had to admit he respected this guy for granting him his life and still offering him this deal after the attempted assault. Although in most kingdoms the death penalty was reserved for the most gruesome of crimes it wasn't uncommon for rogues to deal with each other the old ways if threatened. He could count himself luck that Ushindi seemed to be honorable enough to be above such practices. Yet still, Moto felt humiliated as he noticed how Ushindi intentional used his's own words from earlier to taunt him. "I will do as you command", he replied. "But one victory makes no prince. If it truly is a deal we have, I will call you with a title the moment you fulfill your part in it."

For a moment, Moto feared he may have overdone it. Ushindi stared at him as if to decide how he would punish the younger lion for his words, but then he just grinned. "Fair enough. Askari. Girls. Help our new friends back to their feet."

* * *

_AN: And that's how Moto joined the party. Not the best start, but they'll warm up to each other eventually... Kind of._

_Most likely this is going to be the last chapter until February, I guess. Got some exams next month and I'm definitely gonna fail if I keep distracting myself from studying..._

_Merry late Christmas everyone!_


	26. Chapter 26

**New faces**

„So, ladies uhm… this wasn't exactly the best start, but well, I'm Fasiki. Usually it's not that easy to take me down, you know? You just caught me by surprise. By the way, your names a…?"

Shindana's growl cut him off before he could finish the question. Glancing at the perfectly sharp teeth she presented to him he gulped, suddenly reminded of how those had felt, digging into the fur on his throat. Quickly he excused himself and sped up a little to try his luck on the green-eyed lion.

"Lovely girls." He tried a friendly grin. "And you where? You definitely have to show me some of your moves!"

"Askari", said the other without looking at him. "And you'll get to see some of them soon enough, that's for sure."

"Was… that an offer, or a threat?", Fasiki asked, unsure what to make of this response.

The dark furred lion shrugged. "Up to you and your friends."

Ahead of the two males, another two lions were talking.

"Pretty impressive how your buddy dealt with Singa back there. The last lion who tried that is probably still recovering."

"And the last lion who dared to attack us is still dead", Ushindi replied. He had asked Moto to accompany him on the head of their trail to talk with him. He wanted to learn more about this young rogue and to show him at the same time, who _he_ as dealing with. "I guess you where honest when you said you didn't know about us. Otherwise it would have been really stupid of you to underestimate us."

"Yeah. Won't happen again."

Raising an eyebrow, Ushindi looked at him.

"Because we're on the same side now, of course!", Moto quickly added. "So… you said you actually killed someone?"

"Some of the hyenas who savaged our friend Ruya. I'm not entirely sure how many of them though."

Other than Ushindi had expected, Moto seemed not very impressed. "Do hyenas count, or is that more like, you know… with prey?"

"Huh…" Caught a little off guard with that question, Ushindi gazed over the savannah that lay in front of them. Actually, he hadn't really thought about that so far. He tried to recall the fight, how it had felt to kill and quickly came to the conclusion, that he couldn't. Heck, he wasn't even sure which of the hyenas has died. Some of them had fallen under his claws and jaws, but it had never been about the act of killing in itself. He had done what had to be done to get Ruya out of there. What he knew, was that he felt no remorse about it, that was for sure. But in the end, who was he to answer that question? It hadn't been him who killed Jino and that other unlucky guy. "I guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow and ask Askari about it."

"Tomorrow?"

Ushindi nodded. "We didn't pick you up for nothing, remember? The hyenas have started this and we're not going to wait for them to end it. We're taking the lead from now on."

* * *

"Wherehaveyoubeen?"

Using all his willpower, Guma managed to fight the urge to back away from his mate.

Siyo's eyes displayed both rage and a hint of fear he had never seen before, as she growled at him through clenched teeth. "Oh, ancestors, how can a stupid cub cause so much more pain than a fight for life and death?"

"Because it's not far from being the same." Another hyena entered the matriarch's cave beneath the baobab, pushing Guma aside. "Damn it, girl, why on earth did you call for him when it started and not for me?"

It took a moment until he recognized the other female. She was one of Siyo's halve sisters, a little older, yet not as powerful and fierce a fighter. Still she was one of those females whose presence could make the clan's males both quiver and drool at the same time. Despite his position in the clan, Guma had never been in much contact with her, but he remembered that her name was Jaha.

"Cause all of this is his bloody fault and I want him to suffer with me!"

Giggling, Jaha moved closer. "Ha, I hear you, sis! Wanted to kill my mate too when I got my first cub. But don't fool yourself, hon. You _both_ knew what you were in for."

"So, you came to mock me or what?", Siyo hissed at her sister.

"Would never dare to, my queen", Jaha teased, but her face was proof of her caring intents. "Just here to aid my little sister in her time of need."

Panting, Siyo stopped growling to take some deep breaths.

"Don't get me wrong, you're gonna do all the heavy lifting. Most I can do is moral support and maybe lend a paw here or there."

"And how is that going to help?"

"Well", Jaha said, a mischievous grin on her lips. "You wanted him to suffer too, right?"

Before Guma could react, she snapped at him. Yelping, he stumbled over his own paws and fell, noticing only then that she had barely touched him. Startled, he looked at the two females and immediately forgot about his shock. He was sure that for a moment the pain, anger and fear in Siyo's eyes had been replaced with amusement. There had even been a weak snicker.

"See?" Jaha leaned down and gently nudged her sister's head with her snout. "That helped, didn't it?"

"Guess so." Siyo's expression softened a little at her sister's touch. "Thanks for being here, Jaha."

In silence, Guma watched the females, knowing very well that he was in for one hell of a night. But little did he care. If it meant a moment of relieve for Siyo, he would endure everything Jaha had to offer.

* * *

Exhausted was no word to describe how Guma felt, as the first light of the next day appeared on the horizon. Watching his mate suffer from her labor was hard enough, but the two females had done their best to ensure he would end up as worn out as Siyo was. All night he had been yelled and growled at, been chased out of the den and called back in only moments later. His fur was a mess from all the times Jaha had tackled him down or snapped at him. One time he had done the mistake to get too close to his mate and nearly lost a limb. Yet still, there had been not a single complain from him. He had little to no experience with situations like this and as a male he couldn't truly imagine how Siyo felt, but even he could tell that neither was this an easy birth nor was his own suffering even close to what she went through. The worried expression on Jaha's face left no doubts that her initial words had been more than true. This _was_ a fight for life and death and even worse, there was nothing he could actually do to help his mate.

Worrying over all this, he sat in front of the den's entrance and watched the dark horizon slowly turning red. In no time the sun would rise over the hills and flood the den with its warm beams. Maybe that would bring Siyo the relieve she longed for… He clung to that hope, trying to fight down the feeling that something was wrong. Was it only him, or was he waiting way longer than the last times to be called back in? And when had it turned this quiet?

As finally, a voice called out for him from inside the cave, he could instantly tell, that something had changed. This was no angry yelling, no command or a threat, but sounded closer to a sob.

He entered the cave, afraid of what he might find inside.

"Hey…" Siyo's voice was hoarse from all the yelling and growling.

When he met here tear-stained eyes his heart missed a beat and then… a weak smile appeared on her lips.

"Come meet your cubs… daddy."

His eyes widened as he noticed two black furballs laying in her embrace, curled up against her chest. "D…" His voice failed him as he tried to say the word.

"Daddy." A tear ran down her already wet cheek. "You're a daddy, Guma."

It felt like a dream when he walked towards them, crouched down and moved even closer until his head was right over Siyo's front paws. Unable to speak, he admired the two tiny creatures.

Carefully, his mate leaned forward and hesitantly started to nuzzle him. "I'm sorry, so sorry, my love", she whispered into his ear. "I didn't mean to be such a cruel hag. I was just…"

He could feel her relief as he didn't back away from her and returned the gesture. "It's ok. Don't worry about it." Moving even closer, he placed his forelegs around hers, hugging her and the cubs. Forehead on forehead they lay there looking down on their little ones. "What are their names?"

Tickled by first sunbeam that entered the cave, one of the cubs opened its mouth and sneezed.

"Nuru. That one is Nuru", Siyo said, smiling down on her babies. "And her brother is Katili… little troublemaker."

"Nuru and Katili", Guma repeated, already falling in love with the sound of the names.

For a moment that seemed to last forever they remained in this position, sharing the bliss they felt, until something outside the den disturbed their peace. An unexpected, threatening sound that despite coming from far away pierced their marrow and bone. A lion's roar.

* * *

_AN: Finally, the first chapter 2020! Hope you like the baby-yeenas. And no prizes for guessing who ruined the moment..._


	27. Chapter 27

**War**

It was nearly windless. Most of the hyenas were still asleep when he climbed the small monolith. Only some of them didn't slumber and lay yawning and stretched their limbs. None of them had noticed him yet. It was a peaceful scene, but that would change soon enough. Little did they know that the guard they had set up couldn't warn them anymore.

Finally, one of the hyenas raised its head and flinched at the sight of the lion looking down on them.

For a moment he held eye contact, enjoying the fear visibly overwhelming the creature and grinned. Then, Ushindi opened his mouth and roared, awaking the rest of the hyenas.

Before they could form a defensive line or even fully understand what was happening, Askari stormed out of hiding, Moto and his friends on his heels, answering their leader's call. The hyena closest to him was an aged male, pedaling wildly while trying to get up, a success he would never make. Askari reached him, grabbed him by the neck and threw his head around, breaking the creature's bones with ease. Then he tossed the lifeless body aside and went for the next one.

Not too far from Askari, a large female began bellowing commands at the scattering hyenas and throwing off their initial panic they began to regroup around her, something the lion couldn't allow to happen. With a challenging roar he rushed forward, focusing his primary target. He lowered his head and broke through the loose line of hyenas like a raging warthog.

Taking the older lion's battle cry as a challenge, Moto followed him and pounced at the first hyena that came into reach. Biting and scratching each other they rolled over the ground.

Only a few steps to the right, Fasiki scattered a bunch of male hyenas, wounding some of them, while Singa defended Moto's left against two females.

Meanwhile, Askari made his way towards the female, who he had identified as the one in charge over this outpost. She was indeed a strong specimen, muscular and displaying more than one scar, the marks of a warrior. He threw himself against another male, who had jumped at him trying to stop his assault. A foolish move. Bringing him down and tearing him into bloody shreds slowed the lion down, but it only fed his hunger for a challenging fight and pushed him into full battle mode.

Three more hyenas got in his way, he couldn't tell if it was intended or not, but neither did he care. One by one they fell before his claws and teeth while the female he aimed for shouted even more commands and backed away from him.

Apparently out of nowhere, something crashed into him and he was thrown off balance. Askari stumbled, caught himself and barely managed to dodge the pair of jaws aimed right for his face.

The lead female had stopped her retreat and using his brief distraction, launched a full-on attack.

Fending her off with his claws, Askari nearly didn't notice the other female – the one that had tackled him – getting up. Striking at once with the other hyena, she attacked his right flank and he felt her teeth digging through his fur and skin. At the same moment there was something else he noticed, the brief sensation of something touching his tail. The realization flooded his mind immediately. He had ignored one of the most important rules in combat: Never get surrounded! But it was no fear he felt. It was excitement for a new challenge, a new thrill pushing the high the fight had triggered in him up to the next level.

His hindlegs left the ground and he stopped the third hyena's sneak attack with a powerful double kick.

Once again, the lead hyena attacked. With his hindlegs still in the air he couldn't dodge so he lowered his head in the last moment and instead of his face, the female's teeth caught his mane. His feet met the ground again and instantly he raised his head, lifting the hyena into the air. Now her belly was right in front of his jaws.

Before he could strike, the hyena jumped off him, sensing the danger.

Immediately, Askari switched to the other enemy in reach. Throwing himself to the right, he managed to surprise the other female, who was still tearing at his flank. She hadn't expected him to move into her direction and loosened her grip. He turned, got free and delivered a brutal strike. Blood spilled from four deep cuts in the hyena's face and yelping, the creature stumbled away from him. His attention went back to his primary target.

The lead female stared him straight in the eye, scanning his every movement, searching for an opportunity to attack.

He roared, shifted his weight forward, lifted a paw… and stopped his movement with all force.

Falling for the fake attack, the female came towards him, lured into a counter attack that was aimed too short.

His claws found their target. Once, twice, a third time and a fourth. She was already on the ground when he was close enough to use his fangs. There was no resistance anymore when he finished her off with a bite to the throat.

Discouraged by their leader's demise, the other two hyenas tried to get away from him, but Askari lunged after them, caught one – a male – on the hind leg and made him stumble. The unlucky yelped in pain and terror, as the lion's claws dug into him, pulling him into a deadly embrace.

"Retreat! Get out of here!" The shout came form the survivor of the three hyenas, the female with the bleeding claw marks on her face. "Run!"

The other hyenas, who were trying to fight off Singa and Fasiki instantly stopped their desperate attempts. It was clear that their moral had died with their leader and immediately the first of them fled into the tall grass, while others gathered around the female to cover their retreat.

Another roar sounded and was answered by two more. Soon the hyenas were back, yelping and screaming in fright. Moments later, Shindana busted out of the grass, followed by Tekelea and Chagina. Together they chased them back into the waiting lions' claws.

* * *

From above, Ushindi watched the battle coming to an end. He saw Singa throwing an enemy through the air as if it was nothing and Tekelea racing after a male hyena, who tried to escape into the grass. He heard the whining of a wounded female laying in the dust before Askari, desperately begging for mercy. The bloodthirsty expression on the lion's face that was already covered in red was enough to know that it was in vain. In a mad frenzy, Askari rushed forward and the pleading turned into a gurgling sound before it stopped completely.

Ushindi turned his head away and found Moto, still struggling with the very first hyena he had attacked, the last fight that was going on by now. Finally, the young rogue managed to place his jaws around his opponent's neck.

And suddenly, there was nothing else to be heard than the lions' panting. All hyenas had either fled or perished. In the middle of the field, Askari stepped on the corpses of his defeated foes and roared. Moto was the first to join him and the others followed.

A shiver ran down his spine as Ushindi added his voice to theirs, victoriously towering over the battlefield. His enemies lay dead below him. And it was not Askari's victory or Moto's. It was his. A single command, that was all it had taken him to do it. This, this was true power.

He looked at Askari. As if he had sensed his gaze, the other lion turned around and returned it, still panting through bared, blood dripping teeth. He lowered his head, nodding. Or was it a slight bow? Ushindi couldn't tell. Anyway, it was a gesture of loyalty and friendship. But he knew Askari was more than a friend. He was his warrior, his tool of destruction. They all were. And he would use them to get what he wanted.

* * *

_AN: Ok, hope this one wasn't too bloody..._

_Not the first fight I wrote, but the first larger battlescene I think. It's meant to be a little chaotic but __I'm not entirely sure... _ _Is it good? __Is it a total mess? Is it both? Tell me what you think about it (or how you like my fight scenes in genereal). Would be nice to know._

_Oh and btw: current poll is "Who is your favorite character so far?"_


	28. Chapter 28

**After the battle**

Seven. He counted seven. Of how many? Twenty? Twenty-two? Something like that. Sitting under the baobab, he watched the short trek heading towards him. Reluctantly, he came to the realization that his plan had somehow tremendously failed. Doubling the guards he had already stationed to watch the borders had seemed to be a good idea. More than enough to discourage two vengeful lions, even if it were grown males. Or so he had thought.

A small whimper made him look down to the right. Next to him, Siyo lay with their cubs snuggled up against her belly. Despite her exhaustion she had insisted to attend to her duties. On the other side of her sat her sister, vigilantly watching her and the little ones.

The returning hyenas made their way through the other members of the clan, those Guma hadn't told off to guard duty. Females with cubs, those too old, those too young and the others he had considered as otherwise unfit for the job. Their voices went silent as they all looked at the defeated, shocked by the sight of their condition.

When the hyenas reached them, they lined up before Siyo, Guma and Jaha in no particular order. With hanging heads, they glanced at each other, avoiding to look at them directly.

"What happened?" Siyo's voice sounded awkwardly loud to him compared with the sudden silence.

It took a moment, but finally, one of the females managed to look up and meet her eyes. She seemed to be a little younger than Guma was and he didn't remember granting her the command over one of the outposts. Four long deep cuts ran over the right side of her face and he could see that it caused her pain to speak.

"They… they came for us at dawn. There was no warning. She… she set up a night watch, but he didn't sound the alarm… We tried to fight back, but… they…" She swallowed heavily. "So many didn't make it…"

"And your leader?", Siyo asked.

The female shook her head.

"How? How could two lions…"

"Not two. Five. And three lionesses too. A whole pride. And he… he was unstoppable! We had him surrounded and still we couldn't… He killed her and so many more…" She closed her eyes, either due to the pain or to hold back her tears. Maybe both.

"Ushindi", Guma growled, remembering Chanzi and the others who had died the day the "rogue prince" had come to them.

The female opened her eyes and shook her head. "No, not him. The other one. That black monster that follows him!"

"Askari", Jaha said. "The male we knew about. I've heard of him. Don't know where the others came from."

Looking at no one in particular, Siyo nodded.

A sob escaped the wounded female. "Even when we retreated, he didn't stop", she continued with a trembling voice. "I… I gave the order to retreat after our leader fell, but they wouldn't let us go. The… the lionesses had circled us and drove us back and… it was my fault… I wasn't even in charge… maybe if I hadn't…" Her stammering slowly became quieter to the point that Guma couldn't understand her anymore. To him it was obvious that the girl was close to both a physical and mental breakdown.

A small whimper was heard and Siyo pulled Katili closer to her belly, where he snuggled into his mother's fur. "It wasn't your fault", she said when she turned back. "You knew the battle was lost and tried to get our people to safety. There is no shame in that. Go find someone to take care of your wounds and afterwards get some rest. You need it."

The female bowed to her. There was a hint of relieve in her posture, but she was still far from recovery. That would take some time. The other survivors followed her as she left to find the shaman.

When she was gone, Fupa, stopped circling above them and landed in front of the queen. The bird had been sent out to recon the battlefield and had returned while the hyenas were still speaking.

"What's the situation?", Siyo asked. "Where are the lions now?"

"They're still at the battlefield", the vulture reported. "Some are wounded, but none heavily. Not even trying to hide. Doesn't look like they intend to leave any time soon."

"Did you see any other survivors?"

"I'm afraid no, my queen." Uncomfortably, the bird shifted from one leg to the other. "When the lions noticed me, they shouted up to me. Ushindi has a message for you."

"Is that so? Then spit it out!"

"He said he wishes to see you in person. They'll be waiting at the battlefield. If you'd refuse, this would only be the beginning."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jaha looked at her sister. "First he openly attacked us declaring war and right after that he wants to talk?"

"She's right. You shouldn't accept this. It's more than suspicious."

Against all of Guma's expectations, his mate suddenly rose to her feet. Carefully, she picked up the cubs that by now had fallen asleep and placed them between their father's forelegs. "Take care of them until I return."

"No! No, Siyo, you can't…"

She cut him off with a harsh glare. "I can and I will! I am the queen and matriarch. It my duty to deal with situations like this. But if this lion is stupid enough to think I will come alone, he's wrong. Jaha!" She turned to her sister. "Call the clan, I want every one whose cable of fighting gathered. I'll hear what he has to say, but if it's war Ushindi wants, he can have it. We're not gonna wait for another surprise attack!"

* * *

With the battle rage and tension of the fight slowly leaving his body, he started to actually feel his wounds. It hurt and made him grimace, but he welcomed the pain. It was the exact opposite of the pure relief that was said to accompany death and only raised his feeling of superiority over those he had slain, extending the high the battle had brought him. For a moment, he enjoyed it, but he was no fool. No matter how he felt, the bite marks and scratches had to be taken care of if he didn't want to risk an infection. He twisted, trying to reach the big wound on his side that seemed the worst to him.

"Wait. Let me help you."

Stopping his attempts, Askari looked up. He hadn't noticed the lioness walking up to him. For a second, he considered it, then he accepted with a slight nod.

Tekelea settled down next to him and examined his flank where the hyena had dug her teeth into him. "Ouch. Looks like she got you good."

He grunted in response, as she started to carefully clean the bite mark with her tongue. Truly, that hyena had got him good indeed… but not good enough.

"There you go", Teke said and with a final lick, finished her work on the wound. "All clean. Guess that will turn into a nice scar though."

He flexed his claws and shrugged. He had left his mark on her, the only survivor of the three that had put up the most challenging fight this day. It was only fair that she had managed to return the favor.

Now done with the bite, the lioness began to gently search his body for other wounds. While she took care of his other cuts and scratches, he looked around, eying the others. Not too far from them were Shindana and Chagina, groomed each other's fur. It came into his mind, that Tekelea probably expected him to repay her for her help the same way. Maybe, he thought. A little further to the right, his eyes found Singa and Fasiki. The latter was also trying to help his companion while the other sat upright, stiff as a tree. He displayed a hint of annoyance, occasionally lifting halve a lip, baring his teeth when his friend got too eager. As Fasiki leaned forward and stuck out his tongue to reach a blood splatter on his cheek, the larger lion suddenly had enough. Without changing his stance, he lifted a mighty paw and ducked the other's head to the ground.

Tekelea chuckled. "Odd couple."

"Yeah…", Askari agreed, then his eyes went on until they finally stopped on Ushindi. He stood at the edge of the battlefield, staring into the direction where the vulture had disappeared earlier.

"I wonder what his plan is", the lioness, who had followed his gaze said. "Has he told you what he's up to?"

"No", the dark furred lion mumbled. "But I think I know."

* * *

_AN: Finally another chapter! How long has it been? Don't know, but too lng for sure. Had halve of this done nearly a month ago but then got stuck/uninspired until I finally got back at it yesterday. Whatever._

_Here we have our lions and hyenas after last chapter's battle licking their wounds._

_Hope it won't take me this long to write the next chapters. Stay safe and healthy you all!_


	29. Chapter 29

**The challenge**

When they arrived, the smell of blood hung over the area like an aura of death. The corpses of the fallen still lay were they had died. Flies had already gathered around them and high above, a group of feral vultures had started drawing their circle.

Even from afar, Siyo could spot the lion standing on a small monolith at the edge of what had once been the lair of the guard responsible for this part of their borders.

"So, what's the plan?", Jaha, a step behind her asked. "We could split up to surround them and attack from both sides. Or we…"

"Talk to them as I already said I'd do", Siyo cut her off. "Fupa reported, that none of them is seriously injured and they had enough time to get their breath back, so we wouldn't met them exhausted. We have suffered enough casualties today, so I'll at least give it one last try to settle this affair without further bloodshed… or at least, keep it to a minimum." Without allowing further discussion, the queen continued her way towards the lion on his outlook.

* * *

"And here they are." Ushindi loosened his gaze from the approaching hyenas and turned to his companions. "Stay calm and only attack if I say so." He waited until Askari and Moto confirmed his order with a nod, then his attention focused on the hyenas again. By now they were close enough to speak to him and stopped. One of them, a big female stepped forward and focused her eyes on him.

"Ushindi!", Siyogwaya shouted. "You asked to speak to me. Here I am! So, speak! I'm eager to hear how you want to justify what you have done here."

"What we have done here, your _highness_, simply was a necessary step on the path you have forced us to go", the lion responded. "You left us with no other choice than to demonstrate our strength. We are not some prey you can hunt and slaughter at will!"

Angrily, the hyena snorted. "We never did or even attempted anything like that. We don't know what caused the misunderstanding that lead to the attack on your friend and if it was revenge you were looking for, the lives you had already taken should have been more than enough!"

"And that, is where you're wrong!" With a growl Ushindi jumped down from the rock.

The hyenas behind Siyo moved forward, to protectively flank their queen, but she held them back with a quick snarl, while Ushindi did the same with his own companions, who had jumped up.

"I'm quite sure not everyone who participated in the attack got what he deserved. And even if, there is still one more to be punished." Slowly, he circled her and spoke louder, so everyone would hear him. "I'll admit it right away, I was neither kind nor polite when I came to you, but tell me, how weak does a queen have to be to answer mere insults with murder? And worse, not even prove the guts to do the deed herself!"

"As I have assured you multiple time. I did not order the attack on your friend!", Siyo growled back.

"And yet you fail to present another one who's guilty. Tell me, who else commands your hyenas, because I always thought it would be the matriarch, the strongest and fiercest of the clan. A specimen demanding respect and obedience. But if I was wrong in assuming that hyena was you, feel free to correct me." Having completed his circle, he nodded at Jaha and then the next hyena that stood the closest to her. "Is it her, by any chance. Or that one?"

"I did not come here to listen to your insults, rogue!", she snapped at him.

"And I didn't summon you to give you nothing but empty words! So, listen! One of my friends a member of my pride was mauled by your hyenas! It was either your coward command or your insufficiency as a leader that made this happen! Either way you are guilty and unfit to rule. A threat to everyone in and close to your kingdom. And as such I cannot allow you to keep your power. You saw what we are capable of to reach our goal. So, I'll leave you with two options. Hide behind your people and wait until we get through them… or accept my challenge and fight me for the right to sit on your throne!"

* * *

For a moment, it felt as if the whole world had gone silent. Struck by the lion's words, Siyo stood there motionless, staring into his piercing eyes. A thousand thoughts rushed through her mind as she tried to study his expression. There was no fear or uncertainty to be seen, not even a hint. Worse. With every moment that passed by, he gained further confidence, a fact she was very aware of. Additionally, she could feel her own followers' gaze on her back. She had to react quick, if she didn't want to display weakness in front of the lion… or her clan. It was hard to say what would be worse. Then, two words sounded through the silence: "I accept! Under the condition, that I may choose one of my hyenas to accompany me in the fight. To even the odds."

"Granted", Ushindi replied. "But only if that hyena volunteers. Wouldn't want it to look like you would force someone to die for y…"

"I'll fight with her!" Jaha was by her side even before the other hyenas had the chance to show any hesitation as the lion had apparently hoped.

Hiding her relief about her sister's quick response, Siyo raised her head as high and proud as she could. "Then so be it! Come to us at tomorrow's first light. We'll face each other in front of our throne, as this land's tradition demands it. But for now, leave this place, so that we can take care of our dead."

For a few seconds, it appeared, as if Ushindi would defy her, but then he nodded. "Very well. We'll be there at sunrise." Slowly, he took a few steps backwards. "Come on, guys. We're leaving. For now." With that, he gave her a last, turned around and marched off.

Siyo watched, the other the lions left their posts and followed him. And while she examined one of them after the other, her gaze stopped at one specimen. A young male with a fiery red mane. Suddenly, their eyes met. Only for a moment, the held eye contact, then the lion lifted a lip to bare one of his fangs, growled and hurried after his companions.

* * *

When she returned to her den, Guma was already worriedly awaiting her. Due to the peacefully sleeping cubs snuggling against his chest he didn't get up, but she could see his eyes checking her for any wounds. Most of his tension seemed to leave his body, when he couldn't find any, but he seemed to suspect, that she was anything but well. She trotted over to him and rubbed her head against his. The touch brought her some relief of the sickening feeling that was brooding in her stomach.

"How did it go?" He asked, as she lay down next to him and leaned against his shoulder.

"No one died. The lions left. We buried our dead." Lowering her head towards the cubs sighed. Nuru seemed to have heard the sound and tiredly opened one of her eyes. With her nose, she nuzzled the little one softly to bring her back to sleep. "But they will return", she said, as soon as the cub's head sunk against her father's chest again. She continued to tell him about Ushindi's challenge and how and under which conditions she had accepted. Silently, he listened. "I'm the worst mother imaginable and a horrible mate for doing this", she continued, after he remained silent. "But if it's the only way to stop the bloodshed, I'm willing to accept that. It's… What he said… I simply… couldn't reject after that…"

"I'm sure you did what you had to", he finally said. "What you thought was the best for all of us. For the clan and our family."

"Thank you." Grateful for his attempt to comfort her, she rested her head on one of his front legs, right next to her cubs. "I just hope it was the right thing to do…"

* * *

_AN: How long has it been? Two months? More I think, but surely too long in any case. (Damn, openingn my ANs starts to become a bad habit...) Really hope it won't take me this long to get the next chapter done. I was really struggling with this chapter. I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted to set things up and still don't know if I took the right path but I really wanted to get over with this part of the story and finish the "second act of tRoU" so I could finally head over to the third and most likely final part._

_Anyway, here we are... The challenge has been spoken! Only question is, who will rise from it?_


End file.
